Life & career

Born on February 11, 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho, Palin was the third of four children born to Sarah and Charles R. Heath, respectively a school secretary and science teacher/track coach. The family moved to Alaska when she was an infant.

Having won the Miss Wasilla pageant, she finished third in the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant, receiving the "Miss Congeniality" award and a college scholarship. After attending five different colleges in a six-year span of time, with less than two semesters at most, she received a B.S. in communications with an emphasis in journalism from the University of Idaho in May 1987.

Palin's early ambition was to be a sportscaster. Accordingly, after graduating, she worked as a sportscaster for KTUU-TV and KTVA-TV in Anchorage, and as a sports reporter for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. In 1988, she eloped with her childhood sweetheart Todd Palin, believing that her parents "couldn't afford a big white wedding." After the marriage, she helped in her husband's commercial fishing business.