He left office near the end of President Bush’s second term a fairly scorned public official. He got into serious political difficulty over several matters. But one cannot help but be impressed with the man’s personal story.

He is the son of migrant farmworkers who toiled for a time in the Texas Panhandle. His father, Pablo, didn’t get past the second grade. Yes, the second grade.

And yet, young Alberto graduated from Rice University in Houston, got his law degree from Harvard, entered private practice, went to work as counsel to Gov. George W. Bush, was appointed — and later elected — to the Texas Supreme Court, was called to Washington to serve as White House counsel for President Bush and then became U.S. attorney general.

Not bad, eh?

His message, which he delivered to minority students this week in Amarillo on behalf of Texas Tech University, where he now serves on the faculty: Always strive to achieve your goals.

A kid with such a humble pedigree, Alberto Gonzales, is proof of what one can achieve.