At the Ninth Annual Students’ Forum, two politician’s daughters spoke about what it was like to live in the public eye, but also make a name for themselves outside of their families.
Jenna Bush Hager, the daughter of former President George W. Bush and Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of the first female Speaker of the House, spoke at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Wednesday, March 25.
In the forum titled, “Growing up in the Political Eye: Private Lives in Public Spaces,” Hager and Pelosi discussed not only what it was like to grow up in two of the most important political families in the country, but also the successful careers these two women have had independently of their family names.
Hager has previously taught at a charter school in Washington, D.C., worked at a shelter for an internship for UNICEF and is currently a correspondent for the “Today” show. Pelosi has worked as a journalist for NBC, covering George W. Bush’s presidential campaign and is currently a documentary filmmaker and writer.
Hager and Pelosi gave advice to the students at the event based on the experience they have had in their careers.
Hager warned students to not “stay too married to your idea of what you want to do when you graduate from college, explore a lot of opportunities and take risks.”
She went on to say that, oftentimes, people find themselves in careers that they hadn’t planned on going into after college.
“Had you asked me 10 years ago if I was going to be working for the ‘Today’ show, I would’ve told you ‘no way,’” said Hager.
Pelosi agreed, saying, “If I was getting out of school now, I would not worry about the job. I would worry about the life.”
Both women went on to discuss the influence their parents had on their futures.
Hager felt that, “our parents never put pressure on us to be one particular thing,” adding that she never felt the need to follow her family’s involvement in politics.
“My mom knew I wanted to go into education, but she never forced it. She lightly guided me,” Hager said.
Like Hager, Pelosi didn’t follow her mother’s footsteps into politics, but made a path for herself in media and, eventually, in documentary filmmaking.
Later on in the forum, Pelosi and Hager shared their experiences growing up in well-known political families and how they weren’t all that unordinary.
“We had a very normal childhood, which is hard for people to believe, but it’s really true,” Hager said of living in the White House with her twin sister, Barbara.
At the same time, Hager acknowledged some of the opportunities she had growing up as the president’s daughter, saying, “It was difficult, but it was also really a privilege. I got to meet incredible people, and mentors that have shaped my life. I’ve also gotten to travel with my parents and experience the work that our country does.”
Pelosi also added, however, that growing up in the political eye has its drawbacks too, and that many of these come from the media’s portrayal of political figures like her mother.
“There is a disconnect between the person we know and the person we see on TV,” Pelosi said, referring to how she sees her mother for the person she really is, but how the media sees her only as a politician.
Pelosi added that, “You can never have an honest moment in public,” criticizing the media for judging and making assumptions about people based solely on how they appear to the public.
For student panelist Jason Abate ‘17, the sophomore class president, Pelosi and Hager both “so eloquently demonstrated the extent to which the real and lasting image public scrutiny can bring on not only a politician, but their family, while at the same time demonstrating the inherent need and passion students can and should feel in getting into public service.”
The forum was well-received by those students in attendance as well.
Junior Alexandra Kar appreciated Pelosi and Bush’s comments: “They were so real and they were so honest with their answers.”
For Myles Golymbieski-Rey ‘16, the forum showed him “just how much in a bubble they put themselves in to keep themselves shielded from a lot of negativity and political commentary.”
Senior Kelly Miraglia felt that the forum was “a reminder that the politician we see in the news is a real person and has an everyday life.”
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