October 2012

Mayor Julián Castro, a Rising Star in American Politics

Julián CastroJulián Castro

 Julián Castro
Julián Castro has been mayor of San Antonio, Texas, since 2009.

Julián Castro has been mayor of San Antonio for more than three years. The people of Texas’s second-largest city have gotten to know him well. However, many other Americans did not know who he was. That all changed when Mayor Castro delivered the keynote speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention on September 4. He made history as the first Hispanic American to give the keynote speech for the Democratic Party. Since speaking at the convention, he has made many appearances on national television.

Julián Castro and his twin brother Joaquín were born in San Antonio on September 16, 1974. They grew up in a mostly Mexican-American community on the city’s West Side. Julián was such a good student that he skipped a grade in high school and graduated early. He played football and basketball in school. He also enjoyed playing chess and collecting trading cards. After high school, he attended Stanford University and then Harvard Law School. After graduating from law school in 2000, he returned to San Antonio. Inspired by his mother’s work in the community, he decided to enter public service. He served on the city council for four years and was elected mayor in May 2009.

Despite the national attention he has received, Mayor Castro remains focused on San Antonio. He says that recently he has spent most of his time working on the city budget and on his ideas for improving education. He is working to expand pre-kindergarten education for thousands of San Antonio’s four-year-olds. He believes that starting school at a younger age can help children achieve more in the long run.

Many people are calling Mayor Castro a “rising star” in American politics because they see more great things in his future. They believe that he will next run for governor of Texas and maybe even run for President of the United States one day.

Image credit: ©AP Photo/San Antonio Express-News/Kin Man Hui

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Question 1
What did Mayor Castro do at the Democratic National Convention?





 
Question 2
Who inspired Julián Castro to enter public service?






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