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Questions to the Secretary Madeleine Albright answers questions about her life, her interests, and her role as Secretary of State. Q: What is your favorite color? A: I love blue. Q: What is your favorite hobby? A: I like to spend my extra moments doing needlepoint and sewing. Q: Did you ever play a sport? A: I enjoyed skiing, playing field hockey, and swimming. Q: Do you play a musical instrument? A: I used to play the piano. Q: Were you ever a Girl Scout? A: I was a Girl Guide. The Girl Guides are the British equivalent of the Girl Scouts. The Girl Guides were founded in England by Lord Robert S. Baden-Powell and his sister Lady Agnes as a sister organization to the Girl Scouts. Q: What foods do you like best? A: I like everything! Q: What is your favorite recipe? A: Sweet Czech Dumplings! A dumpling with either an apricot or a plum in the center and covered with butter and sugar. Q: What kind of books do you like to read? A: I love to read fiction and biographies. Q: Who is your favorite poet? A: Robert Frost. Q: When did you become interested in politics? A: My interest in international affairs began at an early age. My father was a Czech diplomat. By the time I was 11, I had lived in five countries and knew four languages. In my parents' home we talked about international relations all the time, the way some families talk about sports or other things around the dinner table. As a child, living in so many foreign countries made it easier for me to adjust to different situations and to make friends -- the essential skills of diplomacy. My mother always taught me to be open and friendly with new people. She said I could learn a lot from them, and she was right. With respect to my interest in politics, specifically, I would say that began when I was about 12 years old. Q: Who were your role models as a child and now as an adult? A: I have always had great admiration for Eleanor Roosevelt. Q: What are your feelings about being chosen the first woman Secretary of State? Are you aware that most young women feel you are a great role model? A: First of all, it's great to be the first woman in this job. I consider it a major honor, obviously, and I'm planning to work very, very hard. It's one of the last big parts of the glass ceiling that has been smashed. What I've noticed -- that I'm very proud of -- is that I think, without overdoing it, I have given a hope to young American women who now see that their future can also include being Secretary of State. I think every one of the women that has done something for the first time probably has the same feeling which is, wow, for ourselves, but also double wow for what we have done for other women. Q: What does it mean to you on an individual basis to have been selected Secretary of State? What does a woman being Secretary of State say about our country and where we are now? Do you think there will ever be a woman President? A: I could not say to you that it had always been my ambition to be Secretary of State of the United States. Frankly, I did not think it was possible. I arrived in America when I was 11 years old. My family came here to escape Communism and to find freedom and we did. My ambition at that time was only to speak English well, please my parents, study hard, and grow up to be an American. I have been a woman for 60 years. I have only been Secretary of State for a short time, so we're still seeing how the two go together. My appointment does show the incredible opportunity in this country, and President Clinton's dedication to that kind of opportunity. As you know, I was also our representative in New York at the United Nations and found that representing the most powerful country in the world was a great challenge and an honor. Whatever gender one is, that is not the point of it. The point is to have the opportunity of representing the United States. When I appear in public or walk along the street, people rush up to me. They don't say Madam Secretary, they call me Madeleine. I think it is because people feel that a woman Secretary of State -- this woman -- is approachable, and they are transferring it somehow to demystifying foreign policy. They even say they're reading more about foreign policy these days. I think that's great. I also think it is only a matter of time before we have a woman President of the United States. Q: What foreign languages do you speak? A: I am fluent in French and Czech. I also have good speaking and reading abilities in Russian and Polish. Q: What do you see as the benefits of learning a foreign language? A: My own life has convinced me of the value of language study. I have often explained that I learned my French in a Swiss boarding school where, if you couldn't speak properly, you wouldn't eat. Most people's motivations are not that urgent, of course. But language skills do open all kinds of doors in one's personal and professional life; especially today, as advances in travel, trade, and communications technology present more and more possibilities to experience other cultures. Q: Have you experienced situations where world leaders changed their reactions to you upon realizing that you speak their language? A: I believe that my ability to speak Russian was definitely an asset in building my relationship with the Russian Foreign Minister and President Yeltsin. I believe that others sense your respect for them and your honest desire for mutually beneficial results when you have taken the time to try to better understand them and their culture by learning their language. Q: What advice would you give young people with respect to learning world languages? A: Beyond opening doors to friendship and cultural exchange, language skills make possible new employment opportunities, bold enterprises in business, improved cooperation in humanitarian endeavors, and better understanding on crucial security and political issues. In today's world it is never too early to begin learning another language -- and never too late. Q: What advice would you give to girls and young women who would like to embark on a career in international relations? A: Today it is more important than ever to know what is happening around you, so take the time to learn about our world. Study a foreign language, if you can, and follow current events. Begin by reading a daily newspaper, or one of the weekly news magazines. You will find that the solution to every problem begins with one person taking action. Wherever I went to school, I would start an International Relations Club. (Because I started it, I would become the president!) It is sad but still true that there are not enough women holding jobs in foreign affairs. At the UN, I was one of six female permanent representatives -- the other 179 were men. Correcting this is not simply about fairness. Today's world needs the skills and experience that women bring to diplomacy. So I encourage you to get involved -- we need you. There are also growing international business opportunities. Most importantly, set your sights as high as possible and pursue every opportunity. Back to Top of Page Back to Digital Diplomacy for Students