Julian Castro, the Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, exhibits many leadership characteristics that should be admired and repeated in younger generations. Born September 16, 1974 in San Antonio, Texas, to Mexican parents 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 an outspoken politician and a major 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 less well known but a member of the Texas House of Representatives. They were both exceptionally good at 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. Having attended law schools at Stanford and Harvard, Julian proved to be a dedicated and gifted student. At Stanford, he earned a degree in communications and political science. He said 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, a year after finishing law school, he competed for and won the San Antonio City Council seat. With 61% of the vote, he became the youngest city councilor in San Antonio history. Although he lost the mayoral race in 2005, he won in 2009 and 2011, winning with 56% and 82% consecutively. His political career was short but successful, and Time Magazine placed him on the "40 Under 40" list of rising stars in American politics. (biography...... middle of paper...... "Mayor Julian Castro: 'My story is truly an American dream story' Castro says: 'When I was young, I never would have thought "I was elected" (Castro). I'm not trying to be a politician, but his story is very similar to mine. I never thought I'd be here today, and similar to his possibility of running for president becoming vice president in 2016, I still don't know where I will go from here However, the most important lesson I will learn from life. de Castro is to never let any obstacle hinder my destiny, no matter what challenges I may face, I will continue to look forward while remaining determined, focused and never forgetting where I came from. I believe that this level of humility will allow Castro to remain grounded and successful in all his present and future endeavors, and I hope that it does. same for me.