be answered in the U.S. Senate. Win or lose in the upcoming senatorial race, Ford will always be a role model for today’s young Americans, having been the youngest person ever elected to Congress. The eldest son of former U.S. Rep. Harold E. Ford Sr., also from Tennessee, Ford Jr. earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1996, the year he was first sworn to represent the Ninth District of Tennessee. He was 26. AGE: 35
DR. KEVIN HOLCOMB. Director of Gynecologic Oncology BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER, NY
Why he’s hot: Kevin Holcomb is one of about 12 black male physicians in the country dedicated to gynecologic oncology medicine. His special interest is the laparoscopic management of GYN malignancies, and he’s among the first physicians in his field trained in the use of robotic surgery. Holcomb performs about 200 surgeries a year in addition to being an assistant clinical professor in obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He’s also very involved in physician awareness and community outreach programs, particularly as they relate to educating women in the Harlem community about the benefits of cancer screening and early detection. AGE: 38
PHIL IVEY,
Professional Poker Player
Why he’s hot: Phil Ivey has captured the country’s attention with extraordinary wins at some high-stakes tables. This year, Ivey won his fifth career bracelet at the World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas, earning a little more than $630,000. When he won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 2000 at the age of 23, he was one of the youngest winners in the history of the tournament. Two years later, he tied a World Series of Poker record by winning three events in a single year. In all, Ivey has cashed in at nearly 50 tournaments, reached six finals tables, and amassed more than $1.25 million. AGE: 29
Beyoncé Knowles Singer, Actress
Why she’s hot: Even before she inspired Tommy Hilfiger’s fragrance line, True Star, Beyoncé Knowles was well on her way to becoming one. The former frontwoman of R&B group Destiny’s Child went solo in 2003, and her debut CD, Dangerously in Love, sold 1.4 million copies, and won five Grammy awards. A budding actress, Knowles played the title role in the television production Carmen: A Hip-Hopera. She made her silver-screen debut as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers: Goldmember and had a starring role in The Fighting Temptations. Next year, she will appear in The Pink Panther, co-starring Steve Martin, and she recently inked a multimillion-dollar deal to play the coveted role of one of the title characters in Dreamgirls, the movie adapted from the hit Broadway play. Knowles has millions in endorsement deals, including a five-year, $4.7 million contract with L’Oreal and a $3 million contract with Hilfiger’s Star fragrance line. And did we mention she had style to spare? Knowles and her mother, Tina, collaborated to develop a women’s clothing line called The