On the day of President Obama’s inauguration, the East-West Center received several mentions in a front page story in The New York Times exploring the First Family’s diverse roots. The article mentioned the Center as a place where Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, spent time and also where the president’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, met her husband, Konrad Ng. (Click the link above to read the full NYT article.)

President Obama’s mother and stepfather, Lolo Soetoro, were both East-West Center grantees, although at different times. Konrad Ng worked from for several years as a graduate research intern in the International Cultural Studies Certificate Program, a joint program between the East-West Center and the University of Hawaii.