The Honorable Melquíades "Mel" Rafael Martínez
U.S. Senate (Florida)
Orlando, Florida

Melquíades "Mel" Rafael Martínez was sworn in as Florida's thirty-third senator on January 4, 2005. Upon taking office, he became the first Cuban-American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Prior to serving Florida in the U.S. Senate, Martínez served as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George W. Bush.

Mel Martínez has called Florida home since the age of 15. He came to Orlando from his native Sagua la Grande, Cuba as part of "Operation Pedro Pan," a humanitarian program that helped Cuban children escape communist Cuba. Martínez lived with foster families who generously opened their homes to him until he was reunited with his family at age 19. After graduating from Florida State University with his undergraduate and law degrees, Martínez established a successful law practice and became active in many youth, civic, and community organizations in the Orlando area. He now proudly represents the people of Florida as a U.S. senator.

"Who would have thought, when I arrived as a frightened 15-year-old boy that one day I might be serving the president of the United States or would become a senator."

-Senator Mel Martínez

The Honorable Thomas Peter Lantos
U.S. House of Representatives (CA-12)
San Mateo, California

Thomas Peter Lantos has served as a Member of the U.S. Congress since January 3, 1981 and is the only holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress. He was born in Budapest, Hungary on February 1, 1928. In 1944, when he was 16 years old, Nazi Germany occupied his home country. Following the end of World War II, Lantos was awarded an academic scholarship to study in the United States.

He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Economics from the University of Washington and later earned his doctorate in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. For three decades prior to his service in Congress, Lantos was a professor of economics, an international affairs analyst for public television, and a business consultant. He is a leading advocate for Human Rights around the world and in 1983 founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. He and his wife Annette have two children and 17 grandchildren.

"My life today, given my background, is something I cannot believe possible. I am privileged to serve the Congress of the United States. I think back to my life fifty years ago, when I was a hunted animal in the jungle, and how I am dealing with issues of state of a country I love so deeply. It all seems like a dream and it all places an incredible sense of responsibility on me. I didn't achieve this because of what I am, it happened because of what this country is."

-Representative Tom Lantos

Anne M. O'Callaghan
Executive Director, Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Anne M. O'Callaghan is the executive director of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians. She has been heavily involved in assisting immigrants in the United States for over three decades.

Trained as a physical therapist in Ireland, Ms. O'Callaghan came to the United States in 1970 and worked in the field for 20 years as a practitioner, college-level instructor, and service director. She brought her entrepreneurial skills to the founding and building of a software development company which serves the home health care industry and is active in the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the Visiting Nurses Association of Greater Philadelphia, and the Southwest Community Enrichment Center. Under her leadership, the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians has provided the greater Philadelphia area with a significant resource and support center for immigrants as they begin life in the United States.

"As the day goes on, I am more and more humbled and honored by [the 'Outstanding American by Choice' recognition]. My mother will be very proud and will tell everyone in Ballybay!"

-Anne M. O'Callaghan