Dr. Condoleezza Rice

Dr. Condoleezza â€Å"Condi† Rice was born on November 14, 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama. She is the only child her parent’s name are Angelena and John Wesley Rice. Both parents are educated; her mother was a teacher while her father was a minister and a football coach. Dr. Rice learned to play the piano at an early age she also learned to speak French. The father moved the family up to Denver because of job placement. Condi graduated at the age of 15 from St. Mary Academy High School with a 4. 00 GPA.She started college at the University of Denver and graduated at the age of 19 with a Bachelor in Political Science. She attended the University of Notre Dame and received her master in 1975. Condi being an over-achiever went back to get her doctoral degree from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver. She accomplished all of this before the age of 27. Dr. Condoleezza Rice grew up in the turmoil of racism. During this time in the 1950’ s it was difficult for African Americans to be successful. Condi mother tired to shield her from the treatments of Blacks. Dr. Rice remembered when she went out shopping with her mother it was one incident where they were at the store and the cashier/owner saw Condi glancing up on some expensive hats and she yelled at her to get off. Her mother yelled at the white women by telling her not to talk to her daughter that way and the mother told Condi to touch every hat in the store. Condi parents taught her to not think of herself as less of a person than white. It’s not as shocking that Condoleezza Rice could stand the hardship of racism. She made something of herself such as becoming an extraordinary public figure.In a short time she gained a great deal of power and influence over people. She became a professor at Stanford and later went to serve as the Director of the Soviet and Eastern Europe Affairs for the National Security Council during Bush’s Presidency in 1989. I n 1993, Condi became the Provost of Stanford, where she balanced the $410 million dollar budget within her first year. In 1999, she resigned as the Provost and became Bush’s Foreign Policy Advisor for his campaign. She became the first female National Security Advisor. The NAACP saw Dr. Rice being an influential role model to the minorities and was awarded the President’s Award in 2002.She became the United States Secretary of State which she was appointed in 2005. Condoleezza Rice is a good leader because she has a combination of many things, especially being a proficient communicator. In addition to English she also speaks Russian, German, French, and Spanish. She carries great talent and breaks the language barriers when travelled to those speaking countries. Condi is an effective leader because she is self-assured, knowledgeable, and proficient in the environment that she takes part of. Her major experience in politics is in Russian foreign affairs so being able to speak Russian is a bonus.She carries herself at a position that people know that she is serious and committed at everything she strives to attain. Condoleezza Rice valued her faith which guides her through difficult times in her life. She feels that if you are praying and have faith then God will show you the way. I do believe that’s true prayer can get you through the toughest times in your life that you never thought would have happen to you. Her family is her support system. Unfortunately, she lost her mother from breast cancer that she battled with for 15 years. Her mother was not able to see her daughter accomplished many outstanding opportunities.Her father was blessed enough to see his daughter be the first National Security Advisor but shortly afterward he passed away. Her family was very influential while growing up which led to her going to college and opening bigger opportunities. She knew the importance of education by having her grandfather graduate from college and hears the struggles he went through, ever since than her family has been college-educated. Condoleezza Rice do not feel sorry for people, she feels that everybody can accomplish something and use that special ability that’s inside them to be productive in the society.When it comes to African Americans she seems to be stern on us. She feels that blacks should not be feeding off the benefits of what our people where force to do during slavery time. She really believes that everybody should be treated equal, so she is obviously against affirmative action. After reading this book, I was able to understand more of Condoleezza Rice, her actions and decisions. Some people may not like her and it could be the choices she made along the Bush administration. However, I understand that she is a strong woman who is not intimidated by anybody. She is very direct and stands strong on her decisions.She grew up during the segregating times but didn’t let that hold her back from a ccomplishing her goals. She ended up being a very powerful and influential public figure, for that I look up to her for that. I know people who would be faced with a difficult situation that would weighed them down. They will not achieve a goal that could have opened the doors of opportunities to better their future. I chose to investigate more of Condoleezza Rice because I didn’t know practically anything about her other than her being the first African American women to be the United States Secretary of State.After reading her biography I can now say how delighted I am to learned that a women that is African American achieving such an enormous ambition in her life. She have influence me to farther my education and get a master degree â€Å"in something I loved† I’m taken her advice to â€Å"always take life one step at a time. † I feel that this step will be great for my family and me. I’m a first generation in my family so I know if my parents w ere still around that they would be proud of me of aiming that high in education.I know that those young people in my hometown neighborhood look up to me, even though I grew up in the â€Å"hood† I didn’t let the environment hold me back from something potential. I let the environment motivate me to not become a statistics and not to have my future family being raised in that kind of environment. I know furthering your education the key to success and that’s what I’m trying to show those youngsters in the neighborhood. Instead of just talking about it I must show the kids that it can be accomplished. This makes me feel excellent on the inside that I’m bettering somebody else life.