Who Are the Immigrants & POC That Dominated This Year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 List?
This year’s Forbes Under 30 Class Of 2022 list consists of a phenomenal line-up of athletes, musicians, educators, entrepreneurs, energy experts and social impact leaders.
Immigrants and POC are challenging the status quo.
With 47.5% of the awardees identifying as POC, this year also saw an increase in Latino presence across the categories. There are 24.4% immigrant entrepreneurs — hailing from 58 countries worldwide — who challenge the status quo from the kitchen, to the classroom, and the music industry.
Among the world’s most impactful, highly talented, and successful people are co-owners of Sobre Masa, chef Zack Wangeman and Diana Montano — who grew up milling corn with her mother, a well-recognized Oaxaca restaurant owner — and are bringing all the Oaxacan must-haves to the table. Through their work at Sobre Masa Tortilleria, Diana and Zack continue to “showcase their love of heirloom corn with fresh-pressed tortillas and house-made tamales.”
John Vincent Salcedo, VP of Digital Marketing at Columbia Records is the youngest Vice President and only Filipino executive. Salcedo is committed to bringing “more Filipinos into the entertainment industry by working closely with independent labels, artists and creatives in the Philippines and in the U.S. to create a hub that’ll allow rising Filipinos to break into music.”
Loza Tadesse, an incoming Assistant Professor in the engineering department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is developing diagnostics for extreme environments to “identify infectious bacteria much faster which will lead both to better treatments and less reliance on the use of broad spectrum antibiotics.” She’s challenging social norms and leading in her field as a Black woman in STEM.
On educating the next generation.
Leaders in education, such as Felix Ruano and Michael Vilardo, co-founders of Emile Learning are “bringing access and opportunity to the classroom and beyond.” Ruano is the son of Mexican immigrants who founded Emile Learning with COO Michael Vilardo. Together, they are “building the Netflix of high school education.” And living by their mission: “A student anywhere in the world should be able to access any course, anytime, anywhere.”
Deportes don’t fall far behind.
Game-changers in sports were also recognized in this prestigious list, including the shooting guard for the Phoenix Suns Devin Booker who is of Mexican descent, Kimberly Chexnayder who is a host on a number of NFL Network shows, and Sunisa Lee, Gymnast for the U.S. Women’s National Gymnastics Team.
Environmental game-changers that are envisioning a more sustainable future.
In an era of transforming climates and corporations that are polluting the environment daily, there’s a need for innovative, sustainable, and equitable environmental solutions.
Folasade Ayoola and Anurag Kamal, co-founders of ElectricFish Energy, developed and patented a “battery storage-integrated EV charging system that can plug into existing, electrical infrastructure like at gas stations to provide an easily installed, ultrafast EV charger.” With entrepreneurs like Ayoola & Kamal, everyone is applying their unique skills and expertise to change the world, and in this case, one EV charging system at a time.
