The name Sarah Palin will be familiar to anyone who hasn’t been locked in a cupboard for the last month. This woman, famous for her staunch religious views and often controversial pro-life opinions was announced as the running mate for Senator John McCain’s Presidential campaign. Not bad for a moose hunting self-confessed hockey mom to five children.

Sarah Palin’s later life has been filled with political successes and controversy – the “bridge to nowhere” incident bringing her both credibility and enemies in political circles – but her early life was no ordinary affair, either. Read on for a brief summary of the early years of Mrs Sarah Palin’s remarkable life.

Wasilla High School was the fertile ground for Sarah’s early successes: she excellent at sports and was the captain of the girls’ basketball team. She and her family often took part at long distances races.

Sarah Palin visited a number of colleges and universities before eventually graduating from the University of Idaho with a Bachelor’s degree in communication-journalism. Whist at Idaho Sarah Palin won the miss Wasilla Pageant and finished third in the Miss Alaska pageant; this latter success netted her a college scholarship.

Todd and Sarah Palin have five children, the eldest of whom, Bristol Palin, was announced to have been five months pregnant with Levi Johnston’s child.