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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was blessed with progressive parents who encouraged her education and growth. However it is her singular focus in making a positive contribution to her community that has helped her climb the ladder of success throughout her life. She has made her presence felt among her peer group right from her school and college days. When she was a political science student at Wellesley College, she became its first student to present the commencement address. Her speech was so good that not only did she receive a standing ovation that lasted seven minutes but was also featured in an article in the Life magazine.
Being the woman she is, she did not let the success go to her head. The year she graduated, in 1969, she worked in a number of labor-intensive industries including washing plates at Mount McKinley National Park and even cleaning salmon at a fish-processing unit. She was outspoken and was, in fact, fired for complaining about the unhealthy working conditions at the fish-processing unit!
Her time at Yale Law School was packed with service on the editorial board of the Yale Review of Law and Social Action. She worked on child abuse cases and was a research assistant. She provided free legal service to the poor by volunteering at the New Haven Legal Services. The Harvard Educational Review published her scholarly article titled “Children Under the Law.” This article continues to be cited frequently in the law field.
After her marriage to Bill Clinton, she continued her career successfully and even helped her husband with his. She was instrumental is his gubernatorial and presidential victories and was the first First Lady to have had her independent career. Her main goal is being an active influence to all the women sitting in their lonely Los Angeles apartments waiting for a man to come do things for them. Her story tells women all over the world that a man’s influence isn’t needed to achieve success. She continues to inspire more women in her current role as the Secretary of State.