First Lady Dr. Jill Biden has been facing all the challenges of her position with grace and conviction, qualities she links to her picture-book childhood in Willow Grove, writes Mattie Kahn for Harper’s Bazaar.

In her memoir, Where the Light Enters, Biden recounts growing up as the eldest of five girls. She also idolizes the relationship of her parents, who adored each other and provided unwavering support for their children.

“I believed that love conquers all,” she wrote.

Her first heartbreak came when she divorced her first husband. She was attending the University of Delaware and, cherishing her independence, she rented a small Chadds Ford house rather than moving back in with her parents.

She met Joe Biden in 1975, who had to propose five times before she said yes.

Today, she is his biggest supporter. And protector. She once tackled a protestor who rushed him on stage, something she credits to being a true Philly-area girl.

Read more about Jill Biden and her local upbringing in Harper’s Bazaar.