For many, Michelle Obama is only the first Lady of the United States. However, the lawyer and the University administrator has many remarkable achievements of her own, apart from marrying a guy who became the president of US.
Let’s just sneak into her life to know about her achievements and her role in being the strength of the former president of US.
Born on January 17, 1964, at Chicago, Illinois, Michelle was raised in a family that was very closely knit. Her parents encouraged her to study and by age of four, she was able to read at home. This way she skipped her second grade at school and was promoted to a higher grade.
She was a bright student and learnt French and undertook biology courses at school under the gifted program. Later she went to Whitney M. Young Magnet High School: the first ever school for gifted children.
She graduated as cum laude in 1985 with a B.A. in Sociology from the Princeton University. She then went to Harvard University to pursue a degree in law. There she was rewarded her J.D. in 1988.
Then she headed towards law firm Sidley Austin, Chicago Office, to work as a junior associate specializing in marketing and intellectual property. That was the very place where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. Obama was summer intern there and Michelle was assigned as a mentor to him.
Michelle rejected his early approach to her, but soon they started dating. Within 2 years, they were engaged and finally married in 1992.
She abandoned the corporate law and landed in public services sector. This was something that she really wanted to do and of course it greatly benefited her husband in his political career. She was able to create beneficial networking opportunities for Obama.
She started off a career as an assistant to Richard Daley who was the mayor of Chicago. Later she became planning and development assistant commissioner of the city.
Her skills and dedication led her to remarkable excellence and she became executive director for the Chicago branch of Public Allies, which was a leadership-training program for young adults in 1993. Later she became an associate dean of student’s services at the University of Chicago.
She stood strong by her husband when he decided to get elected as a state senator in 1996. She was a strong support to the party in fundraising and portraying the agenda of the party.
Michelle struggled among house and work as she started off a family and had two daughters. However, she believed in herself and thereby success approached her at every step. She was nominated as the executive director of community relations and external affairs for the University of Chicago Hospitals in 2002. Three years later she assumed the office of vice president.
However, she knew that her husband needed her support in the presidential elections. She cut down her responsibilities and working hours from there.
She was promoted to vice president after three years, and served on the boards of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, but eventually scaled back her work hours and commitments to support Obama’s entry into the U.S. presidential race.
She was an outspoken person and she was criticized over it. People had a view that this would not benefit the party nor the campaign. But people really appreciated the way she spoke with others and was open about her family.
She became the first African-American lady on 2008 as her husband succeed in the elections. Since then she started working on different projects such as planting vegetable garden at an area of 1,100 square foot at White House in collaboration with the local elementary school students.
Later she started a campaign known as “Let’s move” which aimed at promoting healthy eating and physical activity.
There is a long list ahead of her dedication and success. She has been famous among the youth for her projects and among the women for her dedication towards her family.
She is no doubt a role model to many Americans and rest of the people around the world.
