Julian Castro's Life and Achievements

Julian Castro, the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, displays many characteristics of leadership that should be admired and repeated in younger generations. Born September 16, 1974, in San Antonio, Texas, to Mexican parents who were involved in their community and local political events, he had the perfect foundation for a solid political career. His mother, Maria Castro, was a political activist and founded the Chicano political party. She was a very outspoken politician and a primary inspiration for Castro’s political career. His father, Jessie Guzman, was a community activist throughout the 1970s. He has a twin brother, Joaquin, who is lesser known but a member of the Texas House of Representatives. They were both exceptionally gifted in school and skipped their sophomore year of high school. In addition to participating in multiple extracurricular activities, they graduated in 1992 from Thomas Jefferson High School.

Attending both Stanford and Harvard Law schools, Julian proved to be a dedicated and gifted student. At Stanford, he earned a degree in Communications and Political Science. He stated that affirmative action was a major factor in being able to attend the Ivy League school, so this opportunity became a fundamental reason for his support of the college entrance system. In 2001, the year after completing law school, he competed and won the seat for San Antonio City Council. With 61% of the vote, he became the youngest councilman in the history of San Antonio. Although he lost the mayoral race in 2005, he won in both 2009 and 2011, winning with 56% and 82% consecutively. His political career has been short yet successful, and “Time Magazine placed him on the “40 Under 40" list of rising stars in American politics.” (biograp...

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... “Mayor Julian Castro: “My Story is Really An American Dream Story”, Castro says, “When I was young, I never would have thought that I would have been in elected office” (Castro). I’m not attempting to be a politician, but his story is very similar to mine. I never thought that I would be where I am now, and similar to his possibility of running for president or vice president in 2016, I am still unsure of where I am going to go from here. However, the most important lesson that I will take from Castro’s life is to never let any obstacle get in the way of my destiny. No matter what challenges I may face, I will continue to look forward while staying determined, focused, and never forgetting where I came from. I believe this level of humbleness will keep Castro grounded and successful in all his present and future endeavors, and hopefully it will do the same for me.