Michelle Obama is known as the 44th First Lady and Barack Obama’s wife. However, she is not one to stand in Barack’s shadows. Michelle Obama is a brilliant, intelligent, and driven woman. She grew up in South Chicago, attended Princeton University, and then proceeded to Harvard Law school. She is a role model to many and there are a couple of things we can learn from her life story.
Lesson 1: Don’t let someone tell you that you can’t achieve a goal
Michelle Obama attended Whitney M. Young high school when she met with her guidance counselor to discuss potential colleges. She shared with her counselor that she wanted to go to Princeton and her counselor said “I’m not sure that you’re Princeton material.” This was strange, Michelle had terrific grades (she graduated high school as class salutatorian) and participated in extra-curricular activities (she was student government treasurer). Michelle dismissed her counselor’s opinion. She said, “I wasn’t going to let one person’s opinion dislodge everything I thought I knew about myself.”
When we know ourselves so well and believe in ourselves so much, other’s people negative views of us will not affect us. Michelle Obama knew she was capable, she knew that she worked hard, she knew that she put all her effort into schoolwork. She was educated, determined, and driven. How was she not Princeton Material? Her counselor was wrong and Michelle got accepted into Princeton the same year. As college students, we are often told by our family members or other adults not to pursue a certain career field they don’t believe that we can be successful in that field. This can be discouraging because adults are supposed to know more than us, we’re supposed to listen to them right? Wrong, Michelle’s story teaches us to dismiss those opinions and continue to work hard to pursue those dreams. Don’t let other people’s perceptions of what’s possible stop you from dreaming big and conquering your dreams.
Lesson 2: It is okay to switch career paths
After Michelle’s time at Harvard Law school, she began working at Sidley Austin as an associate and was well paid. However, she realized that she hated her job and wanted to leave corporate law. Understandably, she felt hesitant to abandon her career after all the work and time spent to obtain her position. Eventually, she left the law firm and began working for Mayor Richard Daley as an assistant. Her career and public service furthered as she worked as an executive director for the Chicago office of Public Allies (nonprofit), created the University of Chicago’s first community service program, and took on more roles that focused on helping the community.
Michelle’s story is inspiring because she left everything she knew behind and entered the unknown, this can be scary for everyone. She was fearless as she took risks and sacrifices to follow her passion which was giving back to her community. She was willing to sacrifice a high-paying job for a lower one to help her community thrive. As college students who are constantly feeling pressured to know what we want to do with our lives and pick a major as quickly as possible, we should learn from Michelle’s story. It is okay to switch majors or career paths and we can still be successful doing so.
Lesson 3: Going the extra mile pays off
“Sucess is not about the background you’re from, it’s about the confidence you have and the effort you’re willing to invest” – Michelle Obama.
When Michelle Obama attended Whitney M. Young high school, she had to travel more than an hour on the bus to get there. She was willing to wake up extra early every morning because Whitney M. Young high school was an excellent school and would increase her chances of getting into college. Michelle Obama did not take this opportunity for granted, she studied hard, got amazing grades, and read everything that she got her hands on.
As college students, we can look at Michelle as an example to always strive to do better. This can mean studying for another hour or taking on another leadership role. The semester can feel long and tiring, but the harder we try, the more we will get out of our college experience. After all, success requires hard work, sacrifice, and going above and beyond.
