Alan Gross among guests in First Lady's box at State of the Union

Alan and Judy Gross are among those who will sit with First Lady Michelle Obama for the State of the Union address Tuesday. Alan Gross -- a USAID contractor who had been imprisoned in Cuba for five years -- was released in December when President Obama announced that the U.S. would begin normalizing relations with Cuba.

Scott Kelly, the astronaut who will be the first American to spend a year in space will also be seated in the first lady's box. And CVS president and CEO Larry Merlo will join the first lady, too. CVS announced in 2014 that it would eliminate tobacco sales in all of its stores.

Eight others are Americans who have written letters to the president. Mr. Obama receives thousands of letters every day, and every night, White House aides select 10 letters for him to read that they think best portray the everyday lives of Americans. Those letters have served as the impetus for White House events and proposals. Among the letter writers are a mother from Minneapolis named Rebekah Erler -- her experience encapsulates the economic struggles faced by average American families; Ana Zamora, a student whose family has benefited from the president's immigration executive actions; and U.S. Army veteran Jason Gibson, who lost both his legs in Afghanistan and wrote to the president to tell him "there is life after a traumatic event and good can come of all things."