Erna Solberg

Erna Solberg has been Norway’s 21st Prime Minister since 2013 and is only the second woman to ever hold this position.

Born in Bergen, Norway in 1961, Solberg lived in an affluent neighborhood with her parents and siblings. Throughout her childhood, she struggled in school and was officially diagnosed with dyslexia at age 16. However, this has not stopped her from achieving her many accomplishments.

Although not the perfect student on paper, Solberg did not let that stop her from excelling in school. She was known for being an active and talkative contributor in the classroom with natural leadership skills. In her senior year of high school, Solberg was elected to the board of the School Student Union of Norway; that same year, she led a national charity event in Norway. Both of these roles show her commitment to being a leader, regardless of her dyslexia. After high school, Solberg attended the University of Bergen and received her degree in sociology, political science, statistics, and economics. In addition to her rigorous coursework, she also led the Students’ League of the Conservative Party at the University. This involvement can be paralleled to her current role as the Leader of the Conservative Party of Norway, a position she has held since 2004.

Despite her obvious success, Solberg has dealt with criticisms because of her dyslexic condition. In response to a post to her Facebook page which contained a spelling mistake, a man commented that “it seems as if Norway’s prime minister should actually have assistants who write Norwegian correctly.” This prompted Solberg to respond with, “I am dyslexic and I write it myself,” according to an article. The pride and self-confidence she has when speaking out about her dyslexia shows her positive outlook despite facing these challenges.