Alberto Gonzales Interview (page: 3 / 6) Former Attorney General of the United States	Print Interview

What was it like for a young man from Texas being north of the Arctic Circle?

Alberto Gonzales: It was a great adventure. I was single, 18 years old, and I had never been out of the state of Texas. In fact, I had never been in an airplane until my flight to basic training in San Antonio. The Northern Lights and playing softball at midnight, it was really a great adventure for a young kid. I think it would have been hard for someone who had a family and kids, to be away for a year. You were allowed a 30-day leave at some point during your year, but otherwise, being away from your family would have been tough. But for someone who was single, it really was a great adventure.

You went to the Air Force Academy, but you didn't stay there, did you?

Alberto Gonzales: No, I didn't. I was there for two years.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. The (Air Force) Academy was tough for me because there's such a concentration on engineering and physics and chemistry, and my strengths lie in English and history and political science and law and government. And so I did well in terms of being on the dean's list every semester, but I struggled. It was hard. I had to work very, very hard. I was the freshman class council president, and so I assumed responsibility early while I was at the Academy. Because I did as well as I did, I was able to participate in a gliding program during one summer, so I learned how to fly gliders. I mean it was a great experience.

[ Key to Success ] Perseverance

But I started thinking things over, probably towards the end of my freshman year or the beginning of my sophomore year.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. I really began wondering whether or not I should pursue a military career. I realized as I was taking some of my history courses and political science courses at the Academy, this was something that I had more of an interest in. And so I thought about applying to a school, Rice University in Houston, and this was a school I did used to dream about attending when I was a small boy, because when I was 12 and 13, I got a job selling soft drinks at their football games, Rice University football games. And I would watch the students stroll back to the campus, their dorm, and I would dream about what it would be like to be a student there. But that was it, it was just a dream. But when I was at the Academy and began thinking about my future, I sort of put it in God's hands and applied to transfer to one school, and that was Rice. And if I got accepted, then I knew it was meant to be to go back home to Houston and maybe pursue a career in law, and if I wasn't accepted, then I would stay at the Academy -- and hopefully at the time, I was very interested in becoming a fighter pilot -- and so I was accepted, and then I transferred to Rice University.

[ Key to Success ] Vision

So you went from there to Harvard Law School?

Alberto Gonzales: From there to Harvard. I did well at Rice. When I got to Rice, I realized I didn't have to take any more engineering and science and math courses. I had satisfied all the requirements for those kind of courses at the Academy, so I was able to take courses that I really liked, and I did really well. As a result, because of how I did at Rice, and also because of my being a veteran and of my experiences at the Academy, I think, I was fortunate enough to be accepted at Harvard Law School.

When you got out of law school, what was your intention, what did you want to do?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Alberto Gonzales: I know I wanted to go back home to Houston, so I joined a large firm in Houston. It was a firm that I had clerked at, Vincent and Elkins. It was a very fine firm, and I knew that I would get the best training possible as a lawyer. And so I began working at Vincent and Elkins as a business lawyer. I never had any ambitions to get involved in politics or government service, didn't think about that. But early on, I did get involved in community service in Houston. I realized that someone of my experience, where I was at -- at Vincent and Elkins, a very powerful player in the business and legal community in Houston and in Texas -- that I could have a significant impact, and that people were interested in having me involved in various causes, particularly in the Hispanic community. And so I got involved very early on, joining various groups and serving on various boards. My law firm was very supportive. I think they realized the importance of civic involvement for their lawyers, and so I was able to be involved in lots of groups, and the Houston Bar Association, Big Brothers and Sisters, Catholic Charities, Leadership Houston. There were a lot of groups that I wanted to be involved with, because I realized that that was important, and I felt that, some obligation to try to give back to our community, particularly the Hispanic community, where I saw too many of our kids dropping out of school, and I wanted to be involved in issues and with people that were focused on addressing that problem.

[ Key to Success ] Passion

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