Getting To Know Michelle Obama

   By drodriguez  Jul 29, 2007
12

Growing up as part of a working-class family on the South Side of Chicago Michelle Obama has come a long way. After graduating from high school she attended Princeton University where she majored in sociology. At the time she was one of only a few African American students attending Princeton. After graduation from Princeton she went on to study at Harvard Law School.



She met Barack Obama at a law firm where she was assigned to be his summer mentor. This role seems very appropriate, as Michelle Obama would later give her husband tremendous support during his political career. She helped him make a political name for himself after introducing him to the Chicago neighborhood she grew up in. She has also been known to read over drafts and help edit his major speeches.

Just recently Michelle Obama announced that she would be taking time off from her role as vice president of community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospital to spend more time with her two children and campaign with her husband. This departure from her professional life is quite a sacrifice and a decision she has admittedly been struggling to make since her children were born.

In an interview with the Washington Post she was asked what she would do if she were to become first lady and whether she would go back to work. Her answer is very different from most other political spouses and just another testament to her strength, honesty, and independence; she replied, “Barack and I have lived very separate professional lives. He's done his thing, I do my thing. And my focus is on figuring out what's the right thing for me to do given where I am in my life, where my kids are. And I won't know what that looks like in '08 -- it changes,"


Do you think Michelle Obama would make a good first lady if Barack Obama were elected president in 2008?

What do you think of her sacrificing her personal career to join her husband on the campaign trail?

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bufflady by bufflady | BUFFALO, NY
Jun 07, 2008

i had no idea she was his intern ..interesting.. i didnt like the comment that she made abou t"never being proud to be an american until now_ - i am paraphasing - her hubby will get my vote but not because i am thrilled about it

anais43 by anais43 | LARGO, FL
May 27, 2008

I think she will make an excellant first lady!

Karolyn by Karolyn | Casselberry, FL
Apr 03, 2008

that's great to know that she had a relationship with her "Mentor" - great example.

LeaM by LeaM | Carson, CA
Jan 31, 2008

So he had a relationship going with his intern? There's a name for that nowadays, isn't there?

hencat by hencat | NAVARRE, FL
Sep 24, 2007

I also have to agree with bluehenchick...no vote from me.

Nyemwe by Nyemwe | McKinney, TX
Aug 24, 2007

I think she would be a breath of fresh air - something new, something different. Someone strong, smart (not to say the others were/ are not). I just believe she is a very different woman from what we've become uccustomed to accept in the White House. I wish them both luck!

tammy by tammy | Tallahassee, FL
Aug 09, 2007

Let's hope we never have to find out if she will be a good first lady!

amerksfan1 by amerksfan1 | Rochester, NY
Aug 06, 2007

I totally agree with bluehenchick, he isnt getting my vote either!

bluehenchick by bluehenchick | Newark, DE
Aug 02, 2007

She would be another Hillary with another Bill behind the desk with an intern.

yoginikeri by yoginikeri | Danville, CA
Aug 01, 2007

Michelle Obama would make a great first lady. I'm surprised she's not more outspoken about how she would fill the role of first lady. Running for President involves the whole family, especially the spouse, and first ladies have endless opportunities to make their mark on the world. I don't think Obama wouldn't have committed this far running for President if she wasn't 100% behind him, so I think her comment is kind of weird.

citygirlcountryheart by citygirlcountryheart | Lansdowne, VA
Jul 30, 2007

She is well educated, and well spoken just like her husband, I am sure she would be a wonderful first lady. I would not view any first lady as sacrificing their personal career, as they will be in a new position, that gives them the opportunity to help make change or progress in areas that they feel most deeply about.

astromish by astromish | kensington, MD
Jul 28, 2007

This sentence has a redundancy, so please take out one 'at the time': "At the time she was one of only a few African American students attending Princeton at the time.