Education
Palin played flute in the junior high band, then attended Wasilla High School where she was the head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and a member of the girls' basketball and cross country running teams. During her senior year, she was co-captain and point guard of the basketball team that won the 1982 Alaska state championship, earning the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" for her competitive streak.
After enrolling in Hawaii Pacific College in 1982, she left after only one semester and meandered through higher educational institutions including North Idaho Community College, the University of Idaho and Matanuska-Sustina Community College, spending one or two semesters in each.
In the midst of this turmoil, Palin found herself running short of the funds she needed to finish her education. Determined to succeed, the girl described by her mother as a 'frontierswoman' found the time to enter, and finish second in, the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant. The move worked, earning her a college scholarship as well as the title of Miss Congeniality. Palin eventually graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho.