As an undergraduate at Yale University, Ron DeSantis, now the governor of Florida and a 2024 Republican presidential contender, embarked on a journey that would shape both his personal and political identity.
His time at Yale included participation in St. Elmo, one of the university’s secretive societies, where weekly meetings and shared life stories were the norm.
Ron DeSantis’s Journey from St. Elmo to Florida’s Governorship
However, recent revelations shed light on an incident that hints at the complexity of DeSantis’s character and his trajectory from academia to the governor’s office.
At St. Elmo, DeSantis and his fellow society members gathered regularly for dinners at a townhouse near the Yale campus in New Haven, Connecticut.
During these gatherings, the members took turns speaking at length about their backgrounds, weaving together their unique life narratives.
DeSantis, who often emphasized his journey from a working-class family to becoming a Yale student and accomplished baseball player, was reported to have displayed limited interest in the stories shared by others.
According to accounts from the New York Times, when Cristina Sosa Noriega, a fellow St. Elmo member, recounted her own upbringing as a Hispanic girl raised in San Antonio, Texas, DeSantis appeared disinterested and even rolled his eyes.
This gesture, witnessed by two additional society members, left Sosa Noriega with the impression that DeSantis dismissed her narrative as unworthy of attention.
Sosa Noriega told the newspaper that he appeared bored and uninterested. It appeared as though I was unimportant. He seemed to be under the impression that I wasn’t entitled to be there.
DeSantis’s spokesman denied the incident, characterizing the recollection as “frankly absurd” and questioning the validity of remembering such details from decades ago. DeSantis attended Yale University from 1997 to 2001.
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DeSantis’ Ideological Evolution and Political Path
In his 2023 book, “The Courage to Be Free,” DeSantis reflects on his academic experiences at Yale and Harvard Law School.
He critiques both institutions for their perceived liberal ideologies, suggesting that they are disconnected from the viewpoints of everyday Americans.
These experiences, as DeSantis describes, laid the groundwork for his steadfast conservative beliefs that would come to shape his tenure as Florida’s governor.
Since assuming office in 2019, DeSantis has been at the forefront of implementing a series of conservative laws in Florida.
These laws span a wide spectrum of issues, including education, voting rights, and social topics like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
DeSantis’s book alludes to his early exposure to Yale’s culture and its potential influence on his future political decisions.
“In retrospect, Yale allowed me to see the future,” DeSantis wrote in his book. “It just took me 20 years to realize it.”
As Ron DeSantis navigates the complexities of his political career and campaigns for higher office, his time at Yale’s St. Elmo Society serves as a lens through which to examine the evolution of his beliefs and interactions, offering a glimpse into the formative years of a prominent figure in American politics.
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