ASSOCIATED PRESS "I’m from the sovereign nation of Queens, New York,” Rhodes scholar Jin Park joked. Mayor Bill de Blasio declared April 16 “Jin Park Day” in honor of Harvard student Jin Park, the first undocumented Rhodes scholar in the accolade’s history. The highly selective Rhodes scholarship recognizes 32 students from the U.S. for their academic excellence and leadership every year. Park attended a ceremony at the mayor’s residence, Gracie Mansion, where he spoke about his love for the U.S. “For a lot of us, I’d like to think that this place, America, is my home ― not because I’m smart or not because I’m a Rhodes scholar but because of people like Fahad,” Park said.

Source: Huffington Post April 17, 2019 20:15 UTC