Vishwa Pratibha Award by the World Gujarati Society, the first person of Indian descent who was not an Indian citizen to be presented the award. On October 4, 2007, Williams spoke at the American Embassy School, and then met Manmohan Singh, the then-Prime Minister of India. Williams has also visited Slovenia numerous times. During her stay in October 2014, amongst other things, she paid a visit to the Astronomical Society Vega in Ljubljana. She visited Slovenia again in 2016. Williams has taken a samosa and Carniolan sausage to space in celebration of her Indian and Slovenian heritage. In June 2017, the Needham Public Schools committee voted to name the town's new elementary school after Williams. In May 2020, Williams addressed more than 500,000 Indian and other international students in the United States in a virtual interview organized by the Student Hub at the Embassy of India, Washington, DC, during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Williams is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Honors and awards Navy Commendation Medal Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal Humanitarian Service Medal NASA Spaceflight Medal Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration", Government of Russia (2011) Padma Bhushan, Government of India (2008) Honorary Doctorate, Gujarat Technological University (2013) Golden Order for Merits, Government of Slovenia (2013) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vishwa Pratibha Award See also List of Asian American astronauts List of female spacefarers References External links NASA biography of Sunita Williams August 2018 Take a tour in ISS with Sunita Williams November 2012 Pics: Sunita Williams' journey home and beyond 1965 births Living people American people of Slovenian descent Aquanauts Women astronauts United States Navy astronauts Crew members of the International Space Station Commanders of the International Space Station American people of Gujarati descent American Hindus People from Euclid, Ohio People from Needham, Massachusetts United States Naval Academy alumni Florida Institute of Technology alumni United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni United States Navy captains American test pilots Aviators from Ohio American women engineers Recipients of the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in other fields American people of Indian descent American women aviators Women United States Naval Aviators Space Shuttle program astronauts American aviators of Asian descent Spacewalkers 21st-century American women Military personnel from Massachusetts