President William Ruto was inducted into the American Academy of Achievement, at a Golden Plate Award ceremony held in Washington DC on Friday, December 16.
The Golden Plate Award was presented by Awards Council members Dr Ben Carson, and General Charles Q. Brown, of the United States Air Force, State House.
Wayne Reynolds, Chairman of the Academy, cited President Ruto for his inspiring journey.
“From a village in Kenya, owning his first pair of shoes at the age of 15, rising through politics, studying to the highest level of academic achievement, and inspiring a generation in the art of what is possible, with hard work, faith, and determination,” Ruto was lauded.
President Ruto joined an illustrious group of achievers such as former US President Barack Obama, the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, billionaire Bill Gates, former South African president Nelson Mandela, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and Sydney Portier.
The Golden Plate Award has been presented since 1961 by the American Academy of Achievement to approximately 25 guests of honour at the International Achievement Summit.
Chosen by the Academy’s Awards Council and other distinguished authorities, these men and women of exceptional accomplishment in the sciences, the professions, business, industry, arts, literature, sports, entertainment, and public service are acclaimed, not as winners, but as visionaries and achievers who represent the many who excel.
The academy also brings together leaders with promising graduate students for mentorship. It hosts an International Achievement Summit, which ends with an awards ceremony, during which new members are inducted into the academy.
Equally, Ruto also rang the bell at the most influential securities exchange in the United States and the largest stock exchange in the world by total listed company market cap, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
"We are intentionally re-energizing capital markets to make them more efficient, effective and vibrant in recognition that they power our economic prosperity," Ruto opined after ringing the closing bell at the NYSE.
The closing bell ceremony in the NYSE marks the end of the trading day and can be heard all across. While most, if not all, exchanges use the term to signify the end of the trading day.
Originally, the signal to start and stop trading was a gavel, but during the late 1800s, the NYSE swapped it for a gong to signal the day's beginning and end.
A common sight is the highly publicized events in which a celebrity or corporate executive stands behind the NYSE podium and pushes the button to ring the bells. Many consider the act an honour and a symbol of a lifetime of achievement.
