Recently, I had the opportunity to hear the current Attorney General of Kansas Derek Schmidt speak at the University of Kansas. I would have not attended his talk if I was not friends with the president of the College Republicans group at KU. When she found out that I am the Vice-President of Students for Life of KU, she offered to let me and a few officers from our group come to their next meeting and make a promotional announcement to the College Republicans. Little did I know our shameless act of self-promotion would follow an excellent improvisational presentation by the Attorney General of the state of Kansas.
We got up in front of an audience of about 25 students and made a short, brief announcement that probably paled in comparison to Mr. Schmidt's detailed recitation of his journey into politics. I was blown away by his ability to speak so well off the cuff. After hearing him speak, I'm glad I voted for Derek in the 2010 elections because this guy epitomizes competence and professionalism.
Back in 1990, he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas. Interestingly enough, he started off as a business student because back in his hometown of Independence, Kansas, his father was a small-business owner. While he was living at a residence hall, a joker thought it would be funny to pull the fire alarm at 2 A.M. almost every night during the frigid Kansas winter. After awhile, Derek got so upset that he wrote a short rant on how immature and childish this joker's actions were. A friend of his read it, liked it, and said he should submit it to the University Daily Kansan. One thing led to another, and eventually Derek switched his major from business to journalism.
He put himself through law school at Georgetown while working for Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum, the daughter of Alf Landon. During his incredible presentation, he shared with us the stories behind how he served as general counsel to U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel and later served as Special Counsel to Governor Bill Graves. Then, he served as a Kansas State Senator for 10 years before defeating Stephen Six in the 2010 midterm elections.
Despite his impressive resume and extensive experience in Washington D.C., Attorney General Schmidt comes from a humble, unassuming background. After hearing his talk, I was inspired, not to be in the presence of a public official, but because this man is successful because he seized opportunities that came his way. Sometimes, we tend to think that leaders are born, but Derek Schmidt is a living example that leaders can be self-made. When Derek was a college student at KU, he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He did not have an outline of his life in his hip pocket, which is relieving to many students who are concerned about their careers, job prospects, and life after college.
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