Important dates
- January 17, 1964: Born in Chicago, IL
- 1985: Graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology with Cum Laude honors
- 1988: Graduated from Harvard Law School with rank of Juris Doctor (JD)
- 1992: October 3, 1992 married Barack Obama
- 1996: Became general manager at Chicago Office of Public Allies, encouraging young people to work in social and non-profit associations
- 2002: Worked for the University of Chicago Hospital as the Executive Director of Community Affairs
- 2005: Became vice president of external affairs at the university of Medicine in Chicago
- 2007/2008: Became a media figure through the 2008 United States presidential election
- 2008: Became the first African American First Lady of the United States
- 2010: Forbes ranked her number one on the World’s Most Powerful Women List
- 2010: Launched Let’s Move to combat obesity in young children in the U.S.
- 2014: Created The Reach Higher initiative, which encouraged young Americans to pursue their post-secondary education
- 2015: Became involved in the Let Girls Learn movement, which aims to encourage young girls to pursue studies
- 2018: Published her memoir Becoming where she explains her roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in the White house; her public health campaign, and her role as a mother
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First African American FLOTUS empowers all
She was a lawyer who became senator in Illinois, then after Barack Obama, her husband, became president, she became the First Lady of the United States and first African-American in United States country history.
“Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered.”
Michelle Obama was born on January 17, 1964 in Chicago, IL and was raised in the South Shore neighborhood. After graduating high school at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, she went to Princeton University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1985 with Cum Laude honors. She went on to study at Harvard Law School and obtained the rank of Juris Doctor (JD) in 1988. Then worked at Sidley Austin in marketing and intellectual property.
At the law firm; she met her current husband Barack Obama. They worked as the only two African Americans in the law firm. In October of 1992, they got married and stayed in Chicago. They had two daughters, Malia on July 4, 1998 and Natasha on June 7, 2001.
In 1993, Michelle was the general manager of the Chicago Office of Public Allies. Here she helped encourage young people to work in social and non-profit associations.
In 2007, Barack Obama entered the presidential election. During the campaign Michelle became widely known in the U.S.; She gave several speeches of which she wrote herself and spoke freely, without a filter. Her honesty and directness moved the American people. As a woman so eloquent in speech and tenacity, she became very popular among Americans. By openly discussing her traditional values, “if you can’t run your own house; you certainly can’t run the White House,” she gained the appreciation of the public. November 4, 2008 Barack was elected the first African American President of the United States, making Michelle part of the first African American presidential family in the history of the United States of America.
During Obama’s presidency, Michelle dedicated herself to causes including the fight against obesity, support for veterans and their families, the rights of LGTB people and the education of young girls worldwide.
In 2010, she launched Let’s Move , a program to combat obesity. She initiated the healthy eating program which led to the adoption of a law aimed at forcing schools to take nutritional measures to introduce meals with less salt, fat and sugar in school canteens.
In 2001, Dr. Jill Biden and Michelle helped defend the interest of military families in the Joining Forces movement. In 2015, she helped with the Let Girls Learn movement, which focuses on encouraging young girls to pursue studies.In 2018, her memoir, Becoming, was published. In the book, she explains her roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in th eWhite house; her public health campaign, and her role as a mother.
Michelle is a reminder to all of us that we must use our voices and advocate for those in need. She is a role model for women as she continues to advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating. “Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” May we all take Michelle’s advice and remember the difference that we can make in the lives of others. May we act with dignity and respect for others and speak the truth to inspire others.
A role model of her own, Michelle Obama has shown us to work for our goals and never let anyone else get in our way.
“Always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals.”