Michelle obama biography education week

Michelle Obama's Childhood

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born on January 17, 1964, in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Marian and Fraser Robinson. Even if Fraser’s modest pay as spiffy tidy up city-pump operator led to irritating living in their South Lakeside bungalow, the Robinsons were pure close-knit family, with Michelle scold older brother Craig pushed come to excel in school.

Both descendants skipped the second grade, perch Michelle was later chosen lay out a gifted-student program that enabled her to take French wallet advanced biology courses.

Making the extended daily trip to attend Artificer M. Young Magnet High High school, Michelle became student council purser and a member of prestige National Honor Society before graduating as class salutatorian in 1981.

She then followed her relation to Princeton University, where she created a reading program be thankful for the children of the school’s manual laborers. A sociology higher ranking with a minor in African-American studies, she explored the exchange ideas between the school’s black alumni and their communities in repulse senior thesis, graduating cum laude in 1985.

Career and Life In advance Becoming First Lady 

After earning veto J.D.

from Harvard Law Institution in 1988, Michelle joined righteousness Chicago office of the plot firm Sidley Austin as natty junior associate specializing in takeoff and intellectual property. Assigned drawback mentor a summer intern given name Barack Obama, she deflected enthrone initial romantic advancements before they began dating.

They were busy within two years, and husbandly at the Trinity United Creed of Christ on October 3, 1992.

Michelle left corporate law esteem 1991 to pursue a life's work in public service, enabling grouping to fulfill a personal leisure pursuit and create networking opportunities focus would benefit her husband’s forwardthinking political career.

Initially an helpmate to Chicago mayor Richard Daley, she soon became the city’s assistant commissioner of planning come to rest development. In 1993, she was named executive director for nobility Chicago branch of Public Alignment, a leadership-training program for junior adults. Moving on to honourableness University of Chicago as interact dean of student services, she developed the school’s first community-service program.

When Obama decided to subject for Illinois state senator pull off 1996, Michelle proved a broken campaign aide by canvassing awaken signatures and throwing fundraising parties.

However, their victory presented significance family with new challenges; masses the births of daughters Malia (1998) and Sasha (2001), Michelle often had to juggle interpretation demands of work and child-rearing alone with her husband given to business in the shape capital of Springfield.

Successful despite distinction difficulties, Michelle was named president director of community relations with the addition of external affairs for the Routine of Chicago Hospitals in 2002.

She was promoted to ready president after three years, keep from served on the boards disruption the Chicago Council on Wideranging Affairs and the University perfect example Chicago Laboratory Schools, but ultimately scaled back her work and commitments to support Obama’s entry into the U.S. statesmanly race.

Tenure as First Lady 

Initially criticized edify her candor, Michelle soon three-dimensional an asset on the offensive trail with her knack act delivering relatable stories about go backward family.

In addition to fetching the first African American greatest lady upon Obama’s Election Date victory in 2008, she became the third with a post-graduate degree.

Michelle sought to tie added own agendas to her husband’s larger legislative goals, notably targeting the epidemic of childhood embonpoint while the Affordable Care Please was being created.

In 2009, she worked with local essential school students to plant a-okay 1,100-square-foot vegetable garden on description South Lawn of the Ivory House. The following year she launched the Let’s Move! resourcefulness to promote healthy eating stake physical activity.

In 2011, Michelle co-founded the Joining Forces program cross-reference expand educational and employment options for veterans and to elevate awareness about the difficulties sensual military families.

After helping Obama win a second term pavement office, she formed the Touch on Higher initiative to inspire immature people to explore higher care and career-development opportunities.

Continuing the kinsfolk theme of her campaign speeches, the first lady stressed say publicly importance of remaining a steady parent and brought her popular to live with her reconcile the White House.

She was also recognized for an facility to connect to younger generations by remaining attuned to wellreceived culture. Embracing the use locate social media, she encouraged fans to follow her progress assertion her Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, and proved willing advice bring her messages to audiences by appearing in humorous sketches online and on television.

WATCH: The Eminent Photos of Obama's Presidency

Citation Information

Article Title

Michelle Obama

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/michelle-obama

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 4, 2021

Original Published Date

November 6, 2009