Usha Vance: Redefining the role of second lady

Daughter of Indian immigrants, historian, lawyer, and recently - the "Second Lady" of the USA. Usha Vance is the wife of Vice President J. D. Vance but seems to have no intention of standing in her husband's shadow. According to information provided by "Sermitsiaq", she visited Greenland alone at the end of March to participate in local cultural events. Her visit was reportedly planned due to tensions arising from Donald Trump's statements about acquiring Greenland. However, the mayor of the island's capital, Nuuk Malik Berthelsen, refused to meet with Vance.

From a young age, Usha Vance was expected to be a hardworking and very talented child. She completed her undergraduate studies in history at Yale University and was a Gates scholar at the University of Cambridge, where she earned a master's degree in early modern history. While at Yale Law School, she met J. D. Vance in 2010 when they both joined a discussion group on "social decline in white America".

Six years later, J. D. Vance wrote an autobiographical book, "Hillbilly Elegy," in which he talked about his childhood in a white working-class American family. He publicly revealed how strongly he fell in love with Usha at Yale, describing her as a "genetic anomaly" because, according to him, she had so many ideal traits.

Her university classmates remember her not only as intelligent but also helpful. Charles Tyler, now a law professor, told the BBC that Vance advised other students on how to apply for highly coveted positions, even though she was competing for them.

"She was an excellent student, like, top of our law school class," said one of Vance's classmates.

Despite her personal achievements, J. D. Vance does not hide that he is humbled by his wife's accomplishments. In an interview, he stated that he feels almost "humbled" by them.

Indeed, her career wasn't hindered by starting a family and having children. The couple married in 2014 and have two sons and a daughter. Until the summer of 2024, Vance was a lawyer at Munger Tolles & Olson in San Francisco, which prides itself on a "radically progressive" reputation - somewhat contrary to her husband's views. She previously worked for Chief Justice John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh at the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Her great-grandmother from the state of Andhra Pradesh in India emphasised in a conversation with the BBC that she is not surprised by her successes because she comes from a long line of Hindu scholars. Her aunt, Chilukuri Santhamma, who is a physics professor, added:

- Not everyone can climb to the top in a foreign country and achieve accolades and it's fortunate that Usha has reached to the position that happens for one in millionth.