A stint in the judiciary in Valdivia and then a move to Santiago brought the family back to the nation's capital. They settled in a pleasant San Bernardo neighborhood. Patricio attended public school, distinguished himself in studies and such extracurricular activities as student politics, and meditated the lessons of an uncle, Guillermo Azócar, a socialist senator in the Chilean congress. Aylwin credited his uncle with stimulating his concern for "social justice," a theme which would dominate his public career and his presidency.
Aylwin finished his secondary studies at the Internado Nacional Barros Arana and entered law school at the University of Chile in 1936. Classmate of a group of students who would become prominent Socialist and Radical Party politicians in the years to come--Eugenio Velasco, Clodomiro Almedya, Raul Ampuero, Felipe Herrera, Enrique Silva Cimma--Aylwin found himself also influenced by members of the Juventud de Acción Católica, under the spiritual guidance of Father Alberto Hurtado. This influence would push Aylwin into association with Eduardo Frei, Radomiro Tomic, Bernardo Leighton, and other founders of the Falange Nacional--the origins of the Chilean Christian Democratic Party to which Aylwin would dedicate much of his life. In law school Aylwin served on student-faculty committees considering university reforms, stimulated student forums, and emerged as one of the leaders of his student generation.
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