Four unlikely jobs and aspirations that have shaped who Hillary Clinton is today.
Look how far she’s come.
From a middle-class childhood in a Midwestern suburb to the present, Hillary Clinton’s path to the White House was anything but predictable. Here’s a look at some of her odd jobs and childhood aspirations that made her the person she is today.
1. Astronomical aspirations
Even as a teenager, Hillary aspired to reach for the stars.
Around 1960, inspired by Amelia Earhart, America’s first female aviator, Hillary, at 13, wrote a letter to NASA inquiring about how she could become an astronaut.
Unfortunately, NASA politely replied that no women were accepted into the space program at the time. (In the early 1960s, a group of women dubbed the Mercury 13, undertook the same mental and physical tests as men training to be NASA astronauts. It wasn’t until the early 80s, however, when the first American woman would actually be launched into space.)
2. Overseeing a local park
Hillary got her first summer job as a young teen supervising a small public park near her home in Park Ridge, Illinois.
During the summer of 1961, Hillary said she would haul a wagon full of equipment including balls, bats, and jump ropes back and forth three days a week.
It wasn’t a glamorous job, but it proved that hard work pays off.
“My parents believed in self-reliance and hard work, and they made sure we kids learned the value of a dollar and appreciated the dignity of a job well done.” — Hillary, Hard Choices
3. From “Goldwater girl” to stuffing envelopes for an anti-war Democrat
Growing up with a staunch Republican father, it took Hillary a few years to evolve from a “Goldwater girl” to a Democrat. That evolution took shape while a student at Wellesley College, where she realized her political views on Vietnam and Civil Rights movement were more aligned with the Democratic Party.
By her junior year, Hillary was volunteering for Eugene McCarthy, the Democratic presidential candidate who campaigned on ending the Vietnam War. She was inspired to help out in any way she could, even if it wasn’t the most ideal gig.
“I would drive up from Wellesley to Manchester, New Hampshire, on Friday or Saturday to stuff envelopes and walk precincts. I had the chance to meet Senator McCarthy when he stopped into his headquarters to thank the student volunteers who had rallied around his opposition to the war.” — Hillary, Living History
While at Yale Law School, Hillary worked for George McGovern’s campaign, writing that the experience left her with some of the “best friends I’ve ever had.” She later helped with the investigation of the Nixon administration.
Her roots in politics would grow deeper as she found herself organizing in Indiana for Jimmy Carter’s successful bid for the presidency in 1976.
4. Venturing to Alaska’s frontier
Like most restless 20-somethings, Hillary wanted to see what else life had to offer outside of a lecture hall. After graduating from Wellesley College, Hillary decided to take a road trip with her friends and took odd jobs along the way. One of Hillary’s jobs was in a salmon cannery in a small fishing town, where she was tasked with gutting fish.
The experience was short-lived: Hillary was fired for raising concerns about the conditions of the fish she handled. Hillary jokes that sliming fish was one of the best jobs she had to help prepare her for the role of Commander-in-Chief — that the experience wasn’t too different from politics.
Hillary has certainly come a long way from her days in Park Ridge, Wellesley and Alaska, but it was all a part of her path to becoming the most powerful woman in the world.
If you want to see her complete her journey and end up in the White House, then make sure you’re registered and make your plan to vote.
Originally published at www.hillaryclinton.com.
