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Before she was governor, Gretchen Whitmer was a rebellious teen from Grand Rapids

Published  December 23, 2019 5:43pm EST
Gretchen Whitmer
FOX 2 Detroit

LANSING, Mich. - Only Michigan's second female governor who graduated Magna Cum Laude from Michigan State University's law school, Gretchen Whitmer's professional tenure is dotted with experience and accolades.

But that wasn't always the case. As it turns out, Whitmer wasn't so career-oriented growing up.

The word that she would use to describe herself? "Recalcitrant."

Governor Whitmer wasn’t always so career-oriented growing up

Tim Skubick of FOX 2 interviewed Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the executive house where the two looked back at her growing up.

"I was a pain. When I was going away to MSU, neither my mom nor I could wait for that to happen," she said. "I was strong-minded."

She also had an active social life with subpar grades. A graduate of East Grand Rapids High School, she said she didn't turn her attention towards her career until after she had started college.

"Yeah, I did okay. But it wasn't until the second half of MSU," she said. "By the second half of MSU, it really clicked and I started just getting four points. I went to law school and I graduated Magna Cum Laude."

But even at that point, it wasn't public service she was interested in entering. No, she wanted to be ESPN's first female sports reporter. That's why she took an internship with George Perles, the former football head coach at MSU.

However, after another internship with former Speaker of the House Curtis Hertel, things changed and she redirected her vision toward government and what would amount to 14 years of experience.