A former White House advisor from County Durham has spoken about the importance of education as she takes on a new role.
Dr Fiona Hill was formerly the top Russian expert at the White House and has advised US presidents including President Obama and President Trump.
Born in Bishop Auckland, Dr Hill was the daughter of a coal miner and moved to the US before becoming a citizen by choice - the real life American dream.
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Dr Hill's father, Alfred Hill, went down the pits at the age of 14 with his father, uncles and cousins, and her widowed mother, a retired midwife, still lives in Bishop Auckland.
Now, Dr Hill has officially been installed as the 13th Chancellor at Durham University at a historic ceremony that was attended by dignitaries, community members and other representatives.
She has spoken of having a thirst for learning from an early age and is passionate about social mobility and giving back to the community.
Dr Hill said: “I am very proud to be from the North East of England and deeply honoured to take on the role of Durham University Chancellor.
“My life has literally taken me from coal-house to the White House. For me education is the beating heart of opportunity and with it, anything is possible."
Dr Hill previously spoke about a story about a boy setting fire to her pigtails when she was 11, while she was taking a school test, and she calmly put the flames out and carried out with the exam.
In 2016 she told The Guardian newspaper about trying to win a place at Oxford University in the 1980s and compared it to a scene from the film Billy Elliot, which features a schoolboy from County Durham attending the Royal Ballet School.
She also hit the headlines around the world when she testified at Donald Trump's impeachment hearing.
Commentators on Twitter said they wished she could be president, demanded a TV mini-series be made of her life, and hailed her straight-talking style.
She said: “I hope that as Chancellor I can inspire and empower young people from all walks of life to fulfil their potential.”
The Chancellor is the ceremonial head of Durham University. The role will see Dr Hill act as a global ambassador for the University, as well as presiding over key events.
Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Durham University, said: “Dr Fiona Hill has built an outstanding career in foreign policy whilst retaining a pride in her family upbringing and the values instilled in her as she grew up in County Durham.
“We hugely value her commitment to education for all and her complete belief in the transformational power of education – a belief that is central to the values of Durham University.
“Fiona will be an inspirational Chancellor, leading by example and supporting others through her contact with our community.”
Fiona is, and will remain, a senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe, in the Foreign Policy programme at the Brookings Institution, a non-profit public policy organisation based in Washington DC.
Previous Chancellors of Durham University, which was founded in 1832, include author Bill Bryson, actor, film maker and writer Sir Peter Ustinov and ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn.
