The 2024 Inductees of

The Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame

andre blaszczynski

Andre Blaszczynski a native of Krakow, Poland, is the founder of the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame, which he has envisioned as a program to bring together all immigrant communities in mutual celebration of this nation of immigrants. He has taught for 42 years as a Professor of Business and Economics, most recently at Tunxis Community College. Prof. Blaszczynski was co-founder of the Conference of Solidarity Support Organizations, a global coalition of organizations supporting the pro-democracy labor movement in Poland, and served as President of Solidarity International. After the fall of communism, Prof. Blaszczynski consulted, taught, and published in Poland. He was honored with Poland's Cavalier's Cross “Order of Merit,” and most notably with the Commander's Cross “Order of Merit” in recognition of his work contributing to the restoration of Poland's sovereignty. Prof. Blaszczynski has served in leadership roles in several organizations, including the Polish American Congress, the Polish American Foundation of Connecticut, and the Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee Coalition, and he has contributed to many other organizations and initiatives.

dean azita emami

Azita Emami was born in Iran, and grew up in Sweden as a refugee. She is the Dean of the Yale School of Nursing, and previously served as executive dean of the University of Washington School of Nursing; dean of the College of Nursing at Seattle University; and head of the Divisions of Nursing and Elder Care at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Dean Emami’s research has resulted in more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, and she has led a national effort to identify and address issues of racism in nursing healthcare. She is an advocate for equity of access to healthcare for all, and was a leader of the Nursing Now initiative, a global campaign with the World Health Organization that promoted education opportunities for nurses worldwide. Dean Emami serves on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Board of Trustees, and is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine; an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering; a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing; a trustee of Yale New Haven Hospital; an elected member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences; and a member of the board of the National Clinician Scholars Program.

james michel

James Michel is the tenth of 11 children born to Etienne and Simone Michel in Haiti. At the age of nine, James immigrated to the U.S. with his four brothers in 1974, first settling in Brooklyn, New York. He is CEO of Access Health CT, the Health Insurance Marketplace for the Affordable Care Act in Connecticut, after previously serving as Head of Operations and Head of Finance. Prior to joining Access Health CT, James was an Audit Director at Aetna for over 8 years, and CFO of the Metropolitan District Commission in Hartford. James is the former Chair of the Board of Directors of the nonprofit organization Outreach to Haiti, and former Chair of the Board of Trustees for Jumoke Academy, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of Suffield Academy. James is a veteran of the United States Army Reserve and was honorably discharged in December 2002 as an officer after 18 years of service. James has a MBA from the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford and earned his BS in Accounting at Brooklyn College.

esaul rodriguez and family

Esaul Rodriguez came from a farming and ranching village in Mexico, Union de Tula. At age 16, speaking no English and with just six dollars in his pocket, Esaul went to Seattle to work in his uncle’s Mexican restaurant. He learned fast, worked hard, and moved up from busboy to waiter, then to head cook. At age 21, he opened his own Mexican restaurant in Oregon with his brother, Juan. Falling in love with America, they were determined to share the culture and warmth of their beloved Mexico and came East to seek their fortune. In 1999, Esaul opened his very first restaurant in West Hartford, Puerto Vallarta. In the following years, they opened seven more restaurants across Connecticut. The family hosts between 50 and 60 fundraisers a year out of his restaurant, for everything from local sports teams to Autism Speaks. After each fundraiser, they donate 20 percent of the gross profits from that day.

New Nonprofit Operates Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame

The Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame was initially a project of the Polish American Foundation of Connecticut, Inc., a 501(c)3 charitable organization, which launched and operated the Hall of Fame from inception.  It was succeeded by the establishment during 2021 of the National Immigrant Heritage Center (NIHC), an independent 501(c)3 organization established as a multi-ethnic Center, inclusive in its mission, structure and governance. 

NIHC aims to promote and publish research, lectures and conferences on the many dimensions of Connecticut’s immigrant heritage and the role of immigration throughout the American economy and culture.  Its work, and the annual Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame induction ceremony, is to be supported by an endowment that organizers anticipate will sponsor, support and provide research fellowships, to further these activities and expand public awareness and understanding.

Email us at info@immigrantheritage.org or call 860-614-3488.