Quiz: How Have Refugees Helped Shape U.S. Culture?

The correct answer is: Intel

Intel was co-founded by Andy Grove, who fled Hungary after the 1956 uprising. He helped pioneer the semiconductor industry and modern computing. 

The correct answer is: "Conga" by Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan’s family fled Cuba after the revolution and resettled in Miami. She went on to become one of the most influential Latin artists in U.S. music history. 

The correct answer is: Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin arrived in the U.S. in 1979 after his family fled anti‑Semitism in the Soviet Union. He later co‑founded Google, transforming how the world accesses information. 

The correct answer is: WhatsApp

Jan Koum fled Ukraine as a child and grew up in California, relying on food stamps to survive. He later co-founded WhatsApp, one of the most widely used messaging platforms in the world. 

The correct answer is: Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Albright fled Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia as a child. She later became the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State. 

The correct answer is: All of the above

Ernst Chain, who fled Nazi Germany, played a key role in turning penicillin into a widely used antibiotic. Albert Sabin, a refugee from Poland, developed the oral polio vaccine.  Selman Waksman, a refugee from Ukraine, led the discovery of streptomycin, the first effective treatment for tuberculosis. With the freedom and resources, they found in the U.S., these refugee scientists have saved countless millions of lives. 

The correct answer is: Viet Thanh Nguyen

Viet Thanh Nguyen came to the U.S. as a refugee after the Vietnam War. His novel, The Sympathizer, won the Pulitzer Prize and explores themes of identity, war, and displacement. 

The correct answer is: Manute Bol

Manute Bol fled civil war in Sudan and went on to play in the NBA. He became known not only for his record-breaking shot blocking, but also for donating much of his earnings to humanitarian causes. 

The correct answer is: Sriracha

Siracha, aka “rooster sauce,” was popularized in the U.S. by David Tran, a Vietnamese refugee who fled the country after the Vietnam War and resettled in California. He founded Huy Fong Foods in 1980, building the now-iconic brand from scratch. 

The correct answer is: B

Marc Chagall, a Jewish artist born in what is now Belarus, fled Nazi-occupied France during World War II and resettled in the United States. His dreamlike, colorful paintings—like I and the Village—explore themes of memory, identity, and displacement, and have had a lasting influence on modern art.

The correct answer is: Winning the Boston Marathon

Meb Keflezighi fled war in Eritrea as a child and resettled in the United States as a refugee. He went on to win the Boston Marathon in 2014, becoming one of the most celebrated American distance runners and a symbol of perseverance and achievement. 

The correct answer is: Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie has served as a longtime UNHCR Special Envoy, advocating for refugee rights and protections worldwide.