Nicola Sturgeon Biography

Nicola Sturgeon is Scotland’s First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), known mostly as a strong advocate for Scotland’s independence.

A dedicated student of politics since her teens, she earned her law degree from Glasgow University in 1992 and promptly went into politics. Sturgeon spent most of the 1990s pursuing political office unsuccessfully, but during that time she made powerful allies. Her public persona wasn’t initially known as warm and friendly, but she made fans by being determined, and by 2004 she was seeking a leadership position in the SNP.

When that didn’t work out, she became protegé to the eventual First Minister, Alex Salmond. When he stepped down in 2014, Sturgeon became leader of the party and First Minister.