Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović is the current President of Croatia, in office since 19 February 2015. The first woman to be elected as the president of the republic, she also became the youngest president in Croatian history when she assumed office at the age of 46. Prior to becoming the president she served as Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy at NATO under, secretaries Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Jens Stoltenberg. Born in a small village in Croatia, she grew up to be a bright and ambitious girl. She excelled in her studies and attended the Diploma Course at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna before earning her master's degree in international relations from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Zagreb. Having already embarked on a diplomatic career, she was elected to the Croatian Parliament and later on became the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Over the ensuing years she steadily rose through the political ranks and held various prestigious governmental positions. With the support of President Stjepan Mesić, she became the Croatian Ambassador to the United States by replacing Neven Mimica, in 2008. After becoming the Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy at NATO, she set her ambitions even higher and successfully ran for presidency.