This May, Mike Mustafoglu ’74 was awarded an Ellis Island Medal of Honor, presented by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations.
The medal is given to outstanding American citizens who have distinguished themselves among their ethnic groups. A naturalized U.S. citizen born in the Turkish part of Cyprus, Mustafoglu is the first Turkish-American to receive the medal.
“America’s diversity is her strength,” he says, “and I am happy to be included in the list of people who are considered having made a significant contribution to society.” An electrical engineering graduate, he is the founder and chairman of TransGlobal Financial Corp., a Los Angeles-based private equity firm. Through his company, he has founded, co-founded and financed a variety of business enterprises. He is also the author of articles about risk in business.
Grateful for the opportunities his adopted country has provided him, he and his wife, Debbie Giannopoulos, a former Miss Oklahoma and Grammy-nominated opera singer, and their two daughters organized “Help for the Heartland,” a fund-raising concert that benefited survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing.
— Connie White
