On my list of people I want to know, learn more about, or just plain be like, Condoleezza Rice is right up there with Gwen IFill. Her qualities make speak volumes, and they make her an asset in the business world. Shes savvy about the world and issues that impact government and society in general. On a personal level she is even more valuable. Just think if you could call someone up to chat or get advice. Honestly, I would want her on my team. Having someone who is well rounded and brilliant to consult with can only attract good energy, and I could use a lot of that always.

No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington

Here's an excerpt from the book that describes how Rice came to accept the Secretary of State Position.

I said that I needed a little more time to digest our conversation and aked if we could talk the next morning. We didn't wait until the next day. When we talked again after dinner, I said yes, I would be honored to become the sixty-sixth secretary of state.

The value of having Condoleezza Rice for a friend is an honor, so I hope all of you keeping here company realize that you are blessed. Her celebrity is not why I would choose her as a friend. It's the fact of knowing that the very thing that is driving here to be great, works inside of me too. My intuition tells me she understands what it means to be great, to be challenged, and to be gifted. For example, a friend of mine, whose a well known Dr. in the Hip-Hop Community, gave me a gift, and it was in another language. I couldn't read it, so I had to use the surrounding context to decipher the meaning. That is something that I would have called Condoleezza Rice up in order to get help. After all, she speaks so many different languages.

Using Pimsleur would be an extra part of my lesson plan because Rice is a book all by herself. She is the first African American woman to serve as (the 66th Secretary of State), and is the second of the three that has held the position. Here birthday is November 14, and she was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She's someone I truly admire. The list of her accomplishments goes on and on. For more on Condolezza Rice go Here