Michelle Obama – Former First Lady
COUNTRY OF BIRTH
United States
INDUSTRY
Politics and Law
EARLY LIFE
Michelle Obama was born as a Robinson in Chicago, Illinois on the 17th of January 1964. Her father worked for the city’s water plant and her mother was a homemaker who became a secretary in later years. Obama’s ancestry includes African, Irish, and other European roots.
EDUCATION
She was recognized for her brightness at a young age and joined a class for gifted children in the sixth grade. Obama graduated as the salutatorian of her class and enrolled at Princeton University. Growing up Obama experienced gender discrimination, and at Princeton, she experienced race discrimination. It was reported that the mother of a roommate unsuccessfully attempted to have her daughter moved to a different room because of Obama’s race. Despite challenges, she graduated cum laude with a BA degree in sociology and African American studies and went on to Harvard Law School where she earned her Juris Doctor degree.
POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
In an interview in 1996, Michelle Obama said that she was wary of her husband starting a political career because of privacy issues for their family. Despite her initial concern Obama reduced her work responsibilities by 80% so that she could support her husband’s campaign for the presidency.
Michelle Obama – Former First Lady
There are still many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made.
As the First Lady, Michelle Obama took on some of the most controversial issues in American history. She is a strong advocate for healthy food and started several initiatives like Let’s Move!’, an initiative that combats childhood obesity and ‘The School Lunch Program’ which provides affordable and healthy meals to children of low-income families. She also regularly visited soup kitchens and homeless shelters as the First Lady and is a strong advocate for LGBT rights.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
- The Obamas’ first date was going to a movie called Do the Right Thing
• They have two daughters, Malian Ann, born in 1998 and Natasha, born in 2001
