The U.S. First Lady On the Importance of Higher Education
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
White House Photography by Pete Souza, May 19, 2011.
President Obama speaks on the Middle East & North Africa at the State Department.
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"U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ON THE MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA"
Posted by Karen Ann Carr
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WASHINGTON– As calls for democracy and reform spread across the North Africa and Middle East, U.S. President Barack Obama lays out his vision for a new chapter in American diplomacy.
FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA AND THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
TO HOST AN EVENT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION
WITH LONDON YOUTH_____________________________________________________________________________________
"FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA ON EDUCATION AND THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD ON EDUCATION"
Posted by Karen Ann Carr
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WASHINGTON– On Wednesday, May 25th 2011 First Lady Michelle Obama will continue her commitment to engage young people around the world during her upcoming trip to London. While in London Mrs. Obama and the University of Oxford will host 35 London Youth from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School to support educational opportunity and promote youth mentoring.Mrs. Obama has invite students, from the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School (EGA), a secondary school for girls in North London, for a day-long university “immersion experience” at the University of Oxford. To teach the secondary students about the university experience and to encourage them to pursue higher education, the University of Oxford will provide EGA students with campus tours, career discussions and mentoring sessions with Oxford University students.
The secondary school has as its mission educating young women for the future. The school is named after Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first woman to gain a medical qualification in the United Kingdom. Many of EGA’s students are from economically and ethnically diverse communities and more than 60 percent speak English as an additional language.
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School students will attend a full day of activities at the renowned University of Oxford and conclude the day with a visit by Mrs. Obama, who will deliver brief remarks and answer their questions.
The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School is of particular importance to Mrs. Obama, because the Office of the First Lady has stayed in touch with the school community since April of 2009, when the First Lady paid a surprise visit to EGA to encourage students to “Learn, Achieve, Discover and Perform Without Limits.” At that time Mrs. Obama accompanied President Barack Obama on their first international trip to London, England.
The White House said, "during that poignant visit Mrs. Obama praised the girls for their dedication to education and leadership in their communities and encouraged them to reach for their dreams."
In February of 2010, a group of London students – including one from EGA were invited to the White House by the First Lady after wining a U.S. Embassy Black History Month essay contest.
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The University of Oxford will Host London Youth from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School On Wednesday, May 25th 2011
_______________________Abridged remarks of
THE U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA
AT A DNC EVENT
May 19, 2011
Grand Hyatt
Washington, D.C.
. . . "today, as we look ahead to the next part of this journey, I just want to take you back to how it all began, at least in my mind.
Now, I have to be honest with you, and many of you know this, when Barack first started talking about running for President, I wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the idea. (Laughter.) Yes, I was proud of the work that he was doing as a U.S. senator. And I thought -- no, no, I knew that he would make an extraordinary President. And I told you that.
But like a lot of folks, I still had some cynicism about politics. And I was worried about the toll that a presidential campaign would take on our family. I mean, we had two young daughters at home. They’re not so little now. Malia is -- here. And the last thing I wanted to do was to disrupt their lives and their routines. The last thing in the world I wanted was to spend time apart from my girls
So it took some convincing on Barack’s part, and by “some,” I mean a lot. And even as I hit the trail, I was still a little uneasy about the whole “President thing,” and that's what Malia would call it, the “President thing.”
But something happened during those first few months that changed me. See, campaigning in places like Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina, that wasn't just about handshakes and stump speeches. For me, it was about conversations on front porches and in living rooms where people would welcome me into their homes and into their lives.
I remember one of the first events in Iowa that I did was a gathering in someone’s backyard, beautiful backyard, beautiful sunny day. And I remember that within a few minutes, I was so comfortable that I kicked off my shoes, which I wish I could do today because they really do hurt -- and I was standing barefoot in the grass, just talking to folks.
And that’s what campaigning was all about for me. It was about meeting people one-on-one and hearing what was going on in their lives. And I learned so much. I learned about the businesses that folks were trying to keep afloat, the home they loved but could no longer afford, the spouse who came back from the war, and needed a lot of help, the child who was so smart, who could be anything she wanted, if only her parents could find a way to pay tuition.
And these stories moved me. And even more than that, these stories were familiar to me, because in the parents working that extra shift, or taking that extra job, I saw Barack’s mother, a young, single mother struggling to support Barack and his sister.
I saw my father, who dragged himself to work at the city water plant every morning, because even as his M.S. made him weaker and weaker, my father was determined to be our family’s provider.
In the grandparents coming out of retirement to pitch in and help make ends meet, I saw my own mom who has helped raise our girls since the day they were born. And I couldn’t do this without her.
I saw Barack’s grandmother who caught a bus to work before dawn every day to help provide for their family.
In the children I met who were worried about a mom who’s lost her job, or a dad deployed far from home, kids so full of promise and dreams, I saw my own daughters, who are the center of my world.
These folks weren’t asking for much. They were looking for basic things, like being able to see a doctor when you’re sick. Things like having decent public schools and a chance to go to college even if you’re not rich. These things, simple things, like making a decent wage, having a secure retirement, and leaving something better for your kids.
And while we may have grown up in different places and seemed different in so many ways, their stories were my family’s stories. They were Barack’s family’s stories. Their values –- things like you treat people how you want to be treated, you put your family first, you work hard, you do what you say you’re going to do -– these were our family’s values. (Applause.)
And then suddenly, everything Barack had been saying about how we’re all interconnected, about how we’re not just red states and blue states, those were not just lines from a speech. It was what I was seeing with my own eyes. And that changed me.
And you want to know what else changed me during all those months out on the campaign? I mean, you all. You really did. I see people out there who have become like family. You all changed me. And when I got tired, I would think of all the folks out there making calls, knocking on doors in all kinds of weather. Remember that? (Laughter.) And that would energize me. When I got discouraged, I would think of folks opening up their wallets when they didn’t have much to give. I would think of folks who had the courage to let themselves believe again and hope again. And that would give me hope.
And the simple truth is that today, four years later, we’re here because of all of you. And I’m not just talking about winning an election. I’m talking about what we’ve been doing every day in the White House since that time to keep on fighting for the folks we met and the values we share. I’m talking about what Barack has been doing to help all of us win the future. At a time when we still have so many challenges and so much work to do, it’s easy to forget what we’ve done along the way. It is so easy.
But let’s just step back a moment. Think about these past couple of years.
I mean, we’ve gone from an economy on the brink of collapse to an economy that is starting to grow again.
We’re helping middle-class families by cutting taxes -- working to stop credit card companies from taking advantage of people.
We’re going to give working moms and dads a childcare tax credit because we know how those costs add up for those folks.
We’re helping women get equal pay for equal work with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. And if you remember, that was the very first bill my husband signed into law as President of the United States. That was the first thing he did.
Because of health reform, millions of people will finally be able to afford a doctor. Their insurance companies won’t be able to drop their coverage when they’re sick, charge them through the roof because their child has a pre-existing condition. And they now have to cover preventive care –- things like prenatal care, mammograms that we all in this room know save money, but it saves lives. We know that.
Because we don’t want to leave our kids a mountain of debt, we’re reducing our deficit by doing what families across this country are already doing. We’re cutting back so that we can start living within our means.
And we’re investing in things that really matter -- things like clean energy, so that we can bring down those gas prices, scientific research, including stem cell research.
We’re also investing in community colleges, which are a gateway to opportunity for so many people, and Pell Grants, which help so many young people afford that tuition. That's what we’re doing.
And through a competition called Race to the Top, we’ve got 40 states working to raise standards and reform their schools.
We’re working to live up to our founding values of freedom and equality.
And today, because we ended “don't ask, don’t tell,” our troops will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.
And you may recall that my husband also appointed two brilliant Supreme Court Justices, and for the first time in history -- -- our daughters and our sons watched three women take their seats on our nation’s highest court.
We’re working to keep our country safe and to restore our standing in the world.
We are responsibly ending the war in Iraq and have already brought home 100,000 men and women in uniform who have served this country bravely.
And as you know today, thanks to the tireless work of our intelligence and counter-terrorism communities and the heroic efforts of our troops, the man behind the 9/11 attacks and so many other horrific acts has finally been brought to justice."
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