Condoleezza Rice is a US diplomat who served as the 66th Secretary of State for the country. Rice grew up in the racially segregated Alabama, so according to her, a political career was the last thing on her mind. She was inclined to music from childhood and took classes in piano and ballet with the desire to become a professional pianist. However, she realized that she did not have it in her to become a musician when she attended college, so pursued to study international politics instead. After graduating, she had always been actively involved in politics and served prominent positions in the government. Here are the accomplishments of Condoleezza Rice.
She Became The First Female And The Youngest Provost At The Stanford University.
In 1981, Rice was appointed as an assistant professor of political science in the Stanford University and, in 1987, was promoted to associate professor, holding such a post until 1993, when she was finally made the provost of the university, making her the first female and the youngest who held such a position. In this post, Rice was given the responsibility to manage the university’s multi-billion dollar budget.
She became a National Security Advisor in the US.
In December 2000, she was made the US National Security Advisor, leaving Stanford to accept such a position. She assisted helped President George Bush create race-based preferences in the admission policies of universities and had a significant role in the invasion of Iraq by the US in 2003 after the former declared its weapons of mass destruction to the United Nations. Rice was also the first National Security Advisor who campaigned for an incumbent president during the presidential elections in 2004.
She is the First African American Woman Secretary of State in the US.
Rice served as the country’s 66th Secretary of State, serving from January 2005 to January 2009, and is the first African American woman to hold the post. As such, she is famous for pioneering the Transformational Diplomacy policy that maintains security, fights poverty and establishes democratic reforms, as well as aims to bring about democratic reforms in countries, particularly those in the Greater Middle East. It was Bush who nominated her for this position in November 2004, with the Senate then confirming her nomination in January 2005 by a vote of 85-13. During her tenure as the Secretary of State, Rice initiated many diplomatic efforts on behalf of the Bush government and worked for the expansion of democratic governments, advocating that the US should advance democratic reforms throughout the Middle East.
She Holds The Record For The Maximum Miles Traveled By a US Secretary Of State.
As Secretary of State, Rice traveled widely and visited 83 countries all over the world, holding the record for the maximum miles traveled by someone in such a position.
She Received Prestigious Honors And Awards.
Rice was presented by the Jefferson Awards with the US Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official in 2003. Also, she received the 2009 Thomas D. White National Defense Award of the US Air Force Academy for contributions to the security and defense of the country in 2010.
Because of her achievements, Condoleezza Rice is often considered as a role model for other African American women who strive to reach great professional heights.