The ancestors are, indeed, smiling: newcomer Lupita Nyong'o has won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role as Patsey in Steve McQueen's acclaimed film, 12 Years a Slave.

Lupita, like Jared Leto -- who won the Best Supporting Actor award earlier in the evening -- had some stiff competition: she beat out Julia Roberts (August: Osage County), June Squibb (Nebraska), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) and Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine).

"When I look at this statue, may I, and every child, be reminded that her dreams are valid," said Lupita, as she accepted her award. She also thanked her family -- including her brother, who was also her date -- and Steve McQueen, the director of the movie.

Nyong'o attended college in the United States. After graduating from Hampshire College with a degree in film and theatre studies,[23] she worked on the production crew of many films, including Fernando Meirelles's The Constant Gardener, with Ralph Fiennes, Mira Nair's The Namesake, and Salvatore Stabile's Where God Left His Shoes.

She subsequently enrolled in the acting program at the Yale School of Drama. At Yale she appeared in many stage productions, including Gertrude Stein's Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and The Winter's Tale. While at Yale, she was the recipient of the Herschel Williams Prize "awarded to acting students with outstanding ability" during the 2011-2012 school year. 

Nyong'o landed her breakout role when she was cast in 12 Years a Slave immediately before graduating from Yale with an MFA in 2012. The film was released in 2013 to great critical acclaim. Nyong'o received rave reviews for her performance, and has been nominated for several awards including a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and two Screen Actors Guild Awards including Best Supporting Actress, which she won.

And tonight, she once again won for her role as Patsey -- this time, the biggest honor in Hollywood. Congratulations, Lupita! Well deserved!