There is no question that Chelsea Clinton is a poised, articulate, admirable young woman. Somehow, against all odds when you consider other children that grew up in the White House glow, she has managed to avoid tabloid drama and pretty much any sort of negative press whatsoever.
And while her parents, former United States President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, unquestionably own a great deal of the credit, Chelsea herself …
… gave props to someone else as well.
During a recent visit to PS 123 in Brooklyn on behalf of the Clinton Foundation, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, Chelsea spoke out about her greatest inspiration—her grandmother.
You can see the video here, but let me just say that it’s refreshing to see a young woman that’s grown up in the public eye, under tremendous scrutiny during a time when she seemed to be all glasses, braces, and bushy Hermione Granger hair, speak with such love and reverence for her family.
In addition to heaping honor and respect onto her grandmother, Chelsea recognized the efforts of her parents (particularly her father, who will mark his 65th birthday in October and has undergone serious lifestyle changes in terms of diet and exercise following his 2005 heart surgery) as well as her husband.
So my question is, what has made Chelsea Clinton able to pull it off? How can she speak intelligently and articulately … yet without any sort of bitterness about the very public embarrassments she’s been forced to face, most notably her father’s infamous affair with intern Monica Lewinsky?
And how did her family instill the values and beliefs that have made this remarkable woman who she is today, one dedicated to causes close to her heart but also one who understands the strength of a family matriarch?
We can all learn something from Chelsea Clinton.