How I Became the Governor: COED Interview with Jeb Bush

By Steve

JEB BUSH
University of Texas, Class of 1973

I chose Texas because ‘ I don’t know that I could have gotten into Yale, that’s for sure (laughs). I went to Phillips Academy Andover, so that’s a fairly rigorous high school experience. At the time I went there, the late 60s, it was cynical time in the Northeast and actually I wanted to get back home. I was tired of the weather; I was tired of the attitudes. I wanted to go to Texas where I felt more comfortable. So I only applied to there.

For Texas, I was an in-state resident, and my SATs were good enough to automatically get in. I’ll tell you, getting in early made my senior year in high school a lot more enjoyable.

I played tennis one year at Texas. That was one of the highlights of my time there. I was a walk-on, and to be honest, I was surprised I even made the team. But it taught me a lot and I enjoyed it.

I graduated in less than three years. It’s funny, but here in Florida, and I think it’s the same in Texas, we now mark graduation rates by the percentage that graduate in six years. It’s kind of hard for me to envision that, but a lot of kids are working and it’s a little bit different now. It helped that I placed out of English, math and the foreign language requirement; I spoke Spanish pretty good by the time I got out of high school. I also took 18 credits at a time while I was there, and did one summer, too.

Most of my friends were in a fraternity, but I actually had met my wife in high school during my senior year, and I didn’t feel compelled to do much else other than study and graduate.

I didn’t have political aspirations in school. I majored in Latin American studies, which in Texas was (and is) a great program. Really, the organizing principal of my life was to graduate, get to work and get married.

My political interest only came about when my dad ran for president and I quit my job to work full time for him. It wasn’t because of any political motives, it was just ‘ I kind of considered it payback time for my dad, who’s been so incredible. That was in ྊ, ྋ, so that was long after I had gotten out of school.

In my role as governor of Florida, we’ve made it easier to access higher education for a lot of 18-24 year-olds. We’ve increased our graduation rate in high school, and we’ve provided more aid to make it possible to go. We’ve raised expectations for kids under 18, and they now have more options available to them, which I’m proud of. Historically, either by income or by expectations, a lot of kids here are limited in what their horizons will be, and we’ve thrown away that notion in our state.

I wouldn’t want to share an embarrassing college story, because it would come back to haunt me. But I will say this: I just loved walking the campus; it was time where I had a real sense of purpose in my life and the school and the University of Texas experience made it possible for me to get on the path.

I’m excited about the national football championship for the University. I think the last time there was national championship it was so long ago that I was there, or close enough to that time. They last won in the 70s I think.