Many AANHPI individuals and organizations have achieved outstanding civic contributions, which should be recognized by the entire community. The purpose the Unity Summit awards to highlight the contribution of these outstanding efforts and to encourage all AANHPI individuals and organizations to emulate their shining examples.
We are pleased to present this year’s award winners at the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C., on September 17, 2025, as part of the 2025 Unity Summit.
Dalip Singh Saund Award for Political Involvement
Representative Gene Wu
Gene Wu is a member of the Texas House of Representatives and the Chair of the Democratic Caucus. He distinguished himself as a fearless advocate for civil rights, leading the fight against gerrymandering, which disadvantages communities of color in Texas. He also led the opposition of SB17, which bans Chinese nationals from owning or leasing land in Texas. He argued that this bill sends an anti-immigrant message that hurts Asian individuals and businesses. Gene Wu was born in Guangzhou, China, and shortly after immigrated to Odessa and later moved to Houston with his family. In an interview with Take Texas Podcast, he said, “I have been dealing with racist comments from the public and from members for the entirety of my seven terms.” Nonetheless, he forges on. Representative Wu serves as a powerful example for the AANHPI community. His leadership demonstrates that representation is not just about visibility, it’s about action, voice, and impact. Through his work, he has inspired a new generation of AANHPI leaders to engage in civic life and advocate for the communities they serve. With a deep commitment to justice and an unshakable belief in the power of democracy, Gene Wu exemplifies the values that AAUC holds dear. It is our great privilege to present him with this award in recognition of his political leadership, his principled stand against voter suppression, and the enduring example he sets for all who strive to make a difference.
Norman Mineta Award for Public Service
Ambassador M. Osman Siddique
Ambassador M. Osman Siddique is a distinguished American diplomat, politician, entrepreneur, and author, who served as the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Fiji, the Republic of Nauru, and to the Kingdom of Tonga and Tuvalu from 1999 to 2001, making history as the first American Muslim and first American of South Asian to be appointed to represent the United States abroad as an Ambassador and Chief of Mission. Following the Fijian paramilitary coup in 2000, Ambassador Siddique played a critical role in the restoration of democracy and the rehabilitation of the country. For the past 25 years, he has been a strategic advisor to Fortune 500 companies, multilateral organizations, international firms, and foreign governments. In 2024, he was appointed by President Biden to serve on the United States National Security Education Board. In his memoir, Leaps of Faith: An Immigrant’s Odyssey of Struggle, Success, and Service to His Country, Ambassador Siddique recounts his transformative journey from East Pakistan to becoming an entrepreneur and an ambassador. The foreword, written by President Bill Clinton, praises Siddique’s leadership and faith. Ambassador Siddique earned his MBA from Indiana University Bloomington.
President’s Award for Young Asian/Pacific Islander American
Oorja Munot
Inspired by her experiences of living in India, Belgium, and the United States, Oorja Munot founded Equality Through Education (ETE), a youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to addressing global educational inequities. A rising senior at Richard Montgomery High School in Maryland, Oorja has led ETE’s growth to over 1,000 volunteers across 35 chapters, raising $15,000 and impacting more than 20,000 students by building SMART classrooms and developing a soft-skills app. She also serves on the PERIOD Youth Advisory Council, where she supports a global nonprofit combating period poverty, and leads county-wide initiatives as President of the Asian American Progressive Student Union to fight racial injustice. Oorja hopes to pursue business, policy and economics in the future to drive social change and deepen her impact on communities around the world.
President’s Special Award for Youth
Akhil Venkatesh
Akhil Venkatesh is a 17-year-old senior at Dublin High School, CA. As a 2025 APAPA intern working with Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, Akhil identified a critical gap in financial literacy education for teens. In response, he developed a teen-focused financial literacy curriculum which is now featured on the Alameda County website. His presentation had previously won the 2024 CNBC Junior Achievement Award and his upcoming book, Financial Literacy for Teens by a Teen, reflects his mission to empower his peers with lifelong skills. Akhil has logged over 300 volunteer hours to help the homeless and other vulnerable populations with organizations like SEWA International and Open Heart Kitchen. For this, he earned the prestigious Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award signed by President Biden. Akhil’s CPR certification skills were utilized to help save a victim who was choking and had stopped breathing. By his quick thinking and performing the Heimlich maneuver, he sprung into action and helped dislodge the blockage in the airway and restore breathing. Akhil has co-produced podcasts on AAPI identity, is a nationally recognized youth cricket athlete and also a STEM advocate. Akhil Venkatesh is a shining example of youth excellence. AAUC is honored to recognize him with this award.
Adam Zhang
Adam Zhang is a distinguished student at St. Mark’s School of Texas, an institution consistently ranked among the top private schools in the nation. He is a multifaceted leader with a strong commitment to social impact through the arts and education. His notable achievements include Founder & President of the ACAESUSA Youth CMC Chapter and host of its Youth Ambassadors Pageant, internationally recognized pianist, winning 1st Place in the Carmel Klavier (2023 and 2025) and Charleston International (2024) competitions, Grammy Award winner as a member of the Phoenix Boys Choir, National Gold Medalist in the Scholastic Art & Writing Competition for Photography, AIME Qualifier and Top 5 finisher in Texas Mathcounts, NLE & NGE Gold Medalist (Summa Cum Laude), 1st & 2nd Place winner in State JCL Certamen, and recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award (Gold) for over 275 hours of service. Adam also applies his leadership as Design Director for an award-winning literary magazine, as a Junior Varsity water polo athlete, and as the co-owner of a successful Minecraft server.
Asian American Philanthropist of the Year
Dr. Surinder M. Sehgal
Dr. Surinder M. Sehgal is an Indian‑American crop scientist turned philanthropist, renowned for his pioneering work in the global hybrid seed industry and his transformative rural development efforts in India. He earned his B.S. and Master’s degrees in botany from Punjab University before moving to the United States in 1959. He completed his Ph.D. in plant genetics at Harvard University in 1963. In 1988, together with his wife, Edda Sehgal, he founded the Proagro Group of seed companies in India, which ultimately became part of Bayer. Later, he launched Hytech Seed India in Hyderabad. Following the sale of their seed businesses, the Sehgals founded two nonprofit philanthropies: the Sehgal Foundation in the US in 1998 and SM Sehgal Foundation in India in 1999. Today, these organizations are dedicated to water security, food security, social justice, women’s empowerment, sustainable agriculture, and community-led rural governance. Dr. Sehgal’s philanthropic leadership has earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious Dr. M. S. Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture in 2022 and the American India Foundation’s Leadership in Philanthropy Award in 2011. Through decades of seed science innovation and sustained, community-led rural development, Dr. Surinder Sehgal exemplifies the power of combining expertise with compassion to create long-lasting social impact.
Dr. Ellen Qiong Schicktanz
Dr. Ellen Qiong Schicktanz is a celebrated Chinese American artist, sculptor, painter, scholar, and cultural diplomat whose body of work bridges continents, mediums, and histories. Born in China and educated in China and Japan, she earned a doctorate in literature and art history. Among her most iconic projects are the two monumental bronze reliefs, “Washington Crossing the Delaware” and “Signing of the Declaration of Independence,” which she donated to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. These works are permanently installed near Independence Hall and were unveiled by President Biden in 2017. Beyond her artistic donations, Dr. Schicktanz philanthropically invests her time, leadership, and voice. She leverages her platforms as Director of the Goddess Art Museum, Vice Chair of the Rodin International Artists Foundation, and Chair of the World Alliance of Asian Women to champion marginalized communities. Her advocacy at the United Nations for women entrepreneurs and autistic children demonstrates a deep-seated commitment to philanthropic action that seeks to heal, empower, and create a more equitable world.
Outstanding Community Service Award
Mukta Bain
Mukta Bain’s story begins in Bangladesh in a village where clean water, access to education, and basic healthcare were scarce. At just eight years old, her aunt adopted her and brought her to the United States to pursue a better future. Today, Mukta is a health policy analyst at the Maryland Department of Health. One of her most significant contributions was to provide testimony for Maryland’s Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program, which has helped over 64,000 Marylanders access health insurance, reducing disparities in coverage by age, race, and ethnicity. Her work with the Maryland Health Care for All! Coalition, the Maryland Public Health Association, and numerous grassroots efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic further reflect her leadership and service. She’s met with Presidents Obama and Biden, not as a photo op, but as a policy voice invited to the table. Mukta is also the founder of A Voice for a Village in Bangladesh, a nonprofit she established to directly address the challenges of her birth community, including access to clean drinking water and educating girls to prevent child marriage. She is a Senior Delegate for Youth for Human Rights International at the United Nations representing Bangladesh two years in a row at the UN Headquarters in NYC. Mukta has a Master’s degree in healthcare administration and is pursuing a PhD in public health.
Dr. Junzhou Huang
Dr. Junzhou Huang from the University of Texas at Arlington is a distinguished scholar and community leader known for his commitment to mentorship and diversity. He recently received a significant $3.1 million NIH grant to employ AI in speeding up antibody design critical for rapid drug development and pandemic response efforts. Dr. Huang has significantly advanced opportunities for AAPI and underrepresented students in STEM while strengthening cultural and educational ties within the community. Dr. Huang has mentored over 50 graduate students and numerous undergraduates, many of whom hold leadership roles at top tech firms, including Google, Amazon, NVIDIA, and Facebook. He advised more than 10 female Ph.D. students and multiple female undergraduate researchers, actively promoting gender diversity in STEM. Dr. Huang is on the Advisory Board of Asian Culture and Education Society USA and sits on the Board of Directors of the Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention Society. He is also an organizer for the annual Summer Camps for Middle School Girls, designed to close the gender gap in tech.
Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota
Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota was founded in 1987 to serve Minnesota’s growing Vietnamese community. Today, it is led by Executive Director Hue Pham and provides a wide range of social services to broader communities, including immigrants from Burma, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Each year, VSS of Minnesota reaches more than 12,000 participants with culturally sensitive programs, including English language training, adult basic education, financial guidance, and health education. They also excel at helping newcomers obtain IDs, apply for housing, navigate social services, and access medical assistance. AAUC is honoring the Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota for its distinguished service in providing holistic, culturally anchored support to immigrant and refugee communities. Their long-standing reputation and adaptability continue to make them a critical resource for new Americans.
