JENSEN HUANG: FROM A 9-YEAR-OLD IMMIGRANT TO AMERICA’S HIGHEST SCIENCE HONOR Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang received the National Medal of Science today, recognizing his contributions to computing and AI. His parents were also there to share the moment. Born in Taiwan, Huang was just nine when his parents sent him and his brother to live with an uncle in the United States. The family later reunited in Oregon. At 15, he worked at Denny’s washing dishes, clearing tables and serving customers. He went on to earn electrical engineering degrees from Oregon State and Stanford. In 1993, he co-founded NVIDIA with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem, developing their early plans over meetings at a Denny’s. Their starting idea was to bring better 3D graphics to personal computers. Thirty-three years later, Huang is being honored for helping turn graphics processors into a foundation for scientific computing and artificial intelligence. There’s something special about this beyond the company or the medal: the parents who sent their son across the world getting to stand beside him for a moment like this.