As a woman who is known for being the “first” in many positions, it should come as no surprise that Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun adds another “first” to her list as she becomes the first woman to be profiled in the WomenAchieve (WA) “Spotlight on Success” series.

The first African-American woman elected as a U.S. Senator, Moseley Braun is the eldest child of John and Edna Moseley. She was born in Chicago and completed her early education in the Chicago public school system. As a member of a middle class family, following the divorce of her parents and her graduation from high school, Moseley Braun worked at various jobs to help finance her college education. She earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Illinois and later earned a law degree from the University of Chicago. She was admitted to the Illinois bar in the early 1970s.

Carol Moseley Braun has risen to the some of the highest levels of achievement in positions reflecting her commitment to public service and improving the lives of others. Among the many positions she has held are: Assistant U.S. Attorney working in the areas of housing, health, and environmental law; State Representative in the Illinois state legislature; and United States Senator from Illinois. After her time in the U.S. Senate, she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the post of Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. Regardless of the position, she has always been a staunch supporter of education reform, healthcare, and women’s issues. In addition to her public service, she also found time to be a wife and a mother.

WA was able to secure a few moments with Ambassador Braun as she took a break from her new role as entrepreneur. Today, Moseley Braun has embarked on yet another challenge, this time as an entrepreneur in the organic and biodynamic foods industry. The company she leads is Good Food Organics and the flagship brand is, appropriately enough, Ambassador Organics (www.ambassadororganics.com).

WA: Looking back, did your career follow a straight-line course that you may have planned, or did some unexpected doors open along the way?
CMB: Virtually none of my career was planned or envisioned in the way it eventually developed. I followed my mother’s advice to do the best job I can, wherever I am. The way she would put it was to “be the best you can be at whatever you are doing.” As such, I’ve been able to go from one step of success to another, learning along the way. Living by that advice has opened doors and created opportunities for me.

WA: Can you give us an example?
CMB: Sure. An example is law school. I had not planned on attending law school but a chance conversation with a friend convinced me that I should investigate sitting for the LSAT – the law school admissions test. I listened, I investigated, and I decided to do it.

WA: Who were your role models? Did it matter if they were men or women?
CMB: My father introduced me to black female lawyers and judges at an early age, some of whom included Judge Edith Sampson, Anna Langford, and Alfreda Barnett. Seeing people who looked like me, no doubt, helped me to conclude that no endeavor in life was unachievable.

WA: During your formative and early adult years, who or what were the major influences on your educational goals and/or professional goals?
CMB: My parents were, by far, the most important influence on my educational goals. My father dissuaded me from a career in art history, but his interest in the practice of law was certainly an incentive to move in that direction. Interestingly, even though most of my life has been devoted to law and government service, I still have an interest in art and the creative fields. I love working with my hands and I do some woodworking.

WA: What obstacles, if any, did you face as you began your college education? What obstacles do you think women today face in acquiring a college education?
CMB: By the time I started college, I was fortunate that President Lyndon Johnson had begun to create and expand scholarship opportunities for black students. That financial support made my education affordable. Unfortunately, what had been financial support for me and my generation has become an enormous financial burden for this generation, and young people are required to take on debt where we had been given grants and awards.

Access to adequate funding, both for school and related living expenses remains a lamentable hurdle for today’s young women. As a nation, we should be ashamed that we are not providing the same opportunities to the next generation that our parents and our grandparents gave to us. I think the government should be providing scholarships to young people based on their ability. There should be something similar to the Pell Grant program.

I would like to see a very different system for education; something where students don’t have to amass debt to earn college degrees and become productive, tax-paying members of society. Once, while campaigning in Iowa, I saw a picture at the University of Iowa dating from an earlier age. In that photo was a sign that read, “Free to all residents of Iowa.” Whatever has happened to that attitude towards our young people and our future? America is building its future, not only in education, but in just about everything we do, on credit. This is a dire problem for America.

WA: Was the choice of your particular college major relevant to what you are doing today, or to some of the highlights of your career to-date?
CMB: My study of political science and sociology informed my political career. My current work is in organic food and would have called for a different course of study.

WA: How did your current career interest come about?
CMB: When I was Ambassador to New Zealand, I saw how they approached nutrition, healthy eating, and healthy lifestyles. New Zealand provides universal healthcare to its citizens. They put more emphasis on wellness, nutrition and being healthy in general. When I completed my term, I returned to the family farm in Alabama and began to work on organic farming. As a child, I had some serious health challenges and I remembered those when starting the organic farm project. My company, Good Food Organics, is an outgrowth of my childhood spent overcoming health challenges and spending a lot of time on the family farm during my formative years.

WA: Did you postpone having children to further your career? Conversely, did you take a break from your career (or change it altogether) to have children? What advice might you have for other women who are weighing these work-family options?
CMB: Yes, my son was born after my legal career was launched. Frankly, I now wish I had started a family sooner than I did. My advice is that a career can always be started, a family, less so.

WA: Of the successes and “firsts” you have achieved, which ones are most memorable for you and why?
CMB: Becoming Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa will always be the most personally gratifying to me. It was a time of healing after leaving the U.S. Senate. The role of Ambassador is to make friends and influence people. It gave me the opportunity to shine and do my best in a supportive environment. I was embraced by the people of the country. I was made an honorary member of the Maori; my specific tribal affiliation is Te Atiawa. This is an honor no previous Ambassador has ever earned.

WA: What did you learn during your term in the Senate? Is there anything you would have done differently?
CMB: I would have worked harder to develop a political organization, to raise money, to engage friends in the process, and to communicate better.

WA: What do you think about the American election process as it is practiced today, and the future of our country?
CMB:The electoral system is awash in money, and that concentrates power over the election process in too few people. The Supreme Court has ruled that giving money to candidates or to political parties is an issue of free speech, protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Many people have trouble with the logic that equates donating money with free speech. That court decision certainly allows more speech to those with more money and it distorts the principle of equal representation.

However, I remain an optimist about the future, and am convinced America will remain great so long as she is good.

WA: How would you encourage women to use the unique views that they have on the issues to solve problems and make a difference in their families, communities, and the world?
CMB: Recognize that you have a contribution to make that is unique to your life experiences. Sometimes I despair that so many young women seem to value their sexual selves more than their intellectual selves. So often they fail to understand that they have unique life experiences that can add so much to the solutions America needs. All too often women add to discussions started by men, as opposed to starting their own and framing them with a female perspective. It’s a missed opportunity when women don’t lead the charge on issues that are critical to women.

WA: What single inspirational message would you like to share with women who are striving to achieve their goals?
CMB: Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, and never, never, never give up.