Academy of Achievement
The American Academy of Achievement is a nonprofit organization that seeks to educate and inspire youth. It was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Washington D.C. The academy awards leaders in the arts, business, public service, science and exploration, and sports. The academy recognizes six "keys" to success as: passion, vision, preparation, courage, perseverance, and integrity.
Each spring the Academy hosts an International Achievement Summit, which brings together 50 distinguished honorees (30 from prior years and 20 newcomers each year) with 250 international graduate students. The four day long event culminates in a banquet where Golden Plate Awards for the year are awarded.
Recent honorees in public service include:
- Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States
- Mikhail Gorbachev, former Premier of the Soviet Union
- Lech Wałęsa, Nobel Prize for Peace
- Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan
- Desmond Tutu, Nobel Prize for Peace
- Bertie Ahern, Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
- Henry Kissinger, Nobel Prize for Peace
- King Abdullah II of Jordan
- Queen Rania of Jordan
- Rudolph Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City
- Álvaro Uribe Velez, President of the Republic of Colombia
- Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, President of Latvia
- Árpád Göncz, President of the Republic of Hungary
- Lennart Meri, President of the Republic of Estonia
- Shimon Peres, Nobel Prize for Peace
- Antonin Scalia, Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
- Anthony Kennedy, Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
- Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General of the United States
- Bill Frist, United States Senate
- John McCain, United States Senate
- Richard M. Daley, Mayor of the City of Chicago
- Lord Robertson, Secretary-General of NATO
- Lawrence Summers, President of Harvard University
- Carlos Slim Helú, CEO of Telmex and America Movil
References
- "Fame: The Glitziest Gathering Nobody Knows --- Obscure Academy Honors Students And Celebrities"
By Rachel Emma Silverman. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). Jul 23, 1999. pg. B.1 available from the Proquest subscription database
- "A meeting of the minds ; Hollywood A-listers, Nobel Prize winners and myriad other geniuses rub elbows at International Achievement Summit; (Chicagoland Final , CN Edition)
Ellen Warren, Tribune senior correspondent. Chicago Tribune. : Jun 14, 2004. pg. 1 (available from the Proquest subscription database)
- "Peskin, 89, Photographer; Sharp Pictures, Sharp Angles"; Obituary by
Anahad O'Connor. New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Jun 7, 2005. pg. C.16 (Obituary of founder),( available from the Proquest subscription database)