Janet Yellen was born in 1946 in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. She had a pretty stable family. Her father was a family doctor working from home and her mother was a school teacher. (NYtimes.com) When she was a young girl, her father fell down the stairs causing him to fracture his skull and lose an eye. In order for him to continue his practice, Janet’s mother had to serve as her father’s chauffeur. This also left her mother with the responsibility of handling the family’s money and keeping an eye on the stock market. (New Yorker) Having her eyes opened to the real world at a young age could have played a large factor in Janet going into this career. Her family also experienced discrimination earlier.
Janet went to Fort Hamilton High School in the Bay Ridge neighborhood in Brooklyn. (Businessweek) School was easy for her. She was valedictorian in high school. (New Yorker) One of her high school classmates, Charles Saydah said, “She was obviously the smartest person in the class--it wasn’t even close.” Janet was the editor of the school paper, as well as participating in the "gifted progress" program earlier in her education. In high school, she seemed to be interested in everything while also being very quiet. (Businessweek)
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