Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance faced off in New York City on Tuesday night for their one and only vice-presidential debate, hosted by CBS News.
Both candidates discussed policy issues, but they also discussed their personal backgrounds, and for Walz, that included his past career as a high school teacher and a look at his academic background.
Walz earned his undergraduate degree from Chadron State College, a small public school located in a rural agricultural community in Nebraska. He received a Bachelor of Science in social science education in 1989.
In 2014, he returned to his alma mater to give the commencement address.
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“The professors at this college wanted us to succeed. The door was always open for us to learn and to grow. We got a great base for future success,” Walz said, according to Town and Country. “A healthy and educated populace creates economic and national security. We have the right of self-governance which was paid for with blood. We need more critical thinkers like the students who graduated from CSC today.” Walz’s siblings Jeff and Sandy also attended the school.
While teaching at Mankato West High School, Walz studied at Minnesota State Mankato. There, he graduated with a Master of Science in educational leadership, focusing on Holocaust and genocide education. Walz’s thesis was titled “Improving Human Rights and Genocide Studies in the American High School Classroom.”
He also studied at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, according to the U.S. Congress biographical directory.
Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.
