Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice was born on November 14, 1954, in Birmingham, Alabama. Both of her parents, John Wesley Rice and Angelena Rice, were teachers in the South, teaching in segregated areas. Her mother was a music teacher, and her father was a physical education teacher. Both parents were also deeply involved in their local church ─her father was the minister at the church that his father founded, and her mother was the organist for the same church. Because of her mother’s deep love for music, she named her daughter after the Italian saying “con dolcezza,” which translates to: “to play with sweetness.” Her friends and family called her “Condi” for short.
At a young age, Condoleezza started playing the piano. She would play recitals for her town, and they considered her to be their own prodigy. Dedicated to becoming a successful woman in a heavily segregated area, she achieved amazing grades, learned French and Spanish, and became an accomplished figure skater. Condoleezza finished her high school career in the tenth grade, completing her first year of college that same year.
Condoleezza Rice graduated from the University of Denver in 1974, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science. In 1975, she earned her master’s degree in political science from the University of Notre Dame. Finally, in 1981, she earned her doctorate in political science from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
Soon after graduating, Condoleezza Rice started working at Stanford University. In 1987, she served as an advisor for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest ranking uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense. In 1989, she worked as the director of Soviet and East European Affairs on the National Security Council. She soon went back to Stanford in 1991 and worked there as Stanford’s Provost until 1999.
In 2000, President George W. Bush appointed her as the U.S. National Security Advisor. When Condoleezza Rice started her position, certain people questioned her ability because she was an African American woman. She proved them wrong with her confidence and educated manner. She helped settle agreements in the Middle East and helped find solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the time. An even more significant achievement was the signing of the U.S.-India Agreement. This agreement would begin to permit civil nuclear trade between the U.S. and India.
After her term ended, Condoleezza Rice led a more relaxing lifestyle. She eventually continued playing the piano in her spare time and, after her term under the Presidency of George W. Bush, she wrote about her experiences in her book called No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington, along with another titled Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family. Now, Condoleezza Rice lives in a very nice apartment in Washington D.C. She has never had any children and never been married.
Condoleezza Rice is an inspiring woman who, even though she was underestimated from the beginning, worked hard and learned as much as possible. She achieved many amazing things for the United States but also for people as individuals. She wrote books to show people today that no matter your gender or race, you can do amazing things.
“The essence of America – that which really unites us — is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion – it is an idea — and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things. That it doesn’t matter where you came from but where you are going.”
