The leader that I chose to talk about is Elaine Chao. Many people reading this right now may be wondering who in the world this person is, which was the same thought I had when I first heard this name, but after reading this, everyone will see why I consider her to be a true leader.
Elaine Chao was the first Chinese American woman to be appointed to a President's cabinet in American history. To be more specific, she served as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. Before that (1991-1992), she was the first Asian American to be the Director of the Peace Corps.
She is a leader in my eyes because she has had a huge impact on the Chinese community. She was a fast and diligent worker who immigrated here when she was eight, speaking no English, and climbed to the top of the ladder. She was able to break the glass ceiling and become part of history.
My most favorite part about her commitment and dedication to achieving her dreams. She started at the very bottom of the food chain and is now at the top. I actually see a lot of myself in her, or at least I hope I have some of her traits. I am the first in my immediate family to go to college and my dream is to become a doctor, the first in my family if (or I should say "when") I accomplish this goal.
One of her flaws, however, is related to her ethical beliefs. While in office, she was part of many controversies related hiring practices. Apparently, she began having agency workers compete for their jobs.
However, overall, she has done a lot to show that she is an important leader. Because of her hard life, she was motivated to dedicate most of her professional life to ensuring that all people have access to opportunities and chances to build better lives. In other words, she is living the American Dream.http://www.heritage.org/about/staff/c/elaine-chao
http://www.biography.com/articles/Elaine-L.-Chao-214142
http://elainelchao.com/
Great post Amy. I didn't know about this particular public figure. Thank you for the information.
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Wow, that's amazing that she broke the glass ceiling and was the first Chinese American on the President's Cabinet! I've never heard of her before this post. Was she also the first Asian American? You seldom hear about Asian Americans entering politics. Maybe that will change as we get older since the majority our generation's Asian Americans are no longer the first generation.
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