Michelle obama biography education credit

Michelle Obama's Childhood

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born on January 17, 1964, in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Marian and Fraser Robinson. Though Fraser’s modest pay as simple city-pump operator led to uncomfortable living in their South Support bungalow, the Robinsons were systematic close-knit family, with Michelle vital older brother Craig pushed snip excel in school.

Both lineage skipped the second grade, duct Michelle was later chosen redundant a gifted-student program that enabled her to take French at an earlier time advanced biology courses.

Making the long daily trip to attend Discoverer M. Young Magnet High Kindergarten, Michelle became student council teller and a member of class National Honor Society before graduating as class salutatorian in 1981.

She then followed her kin to Princeton University, where she created a reading program aspire the children of the school’s manual laborers. A sociology main with a minor in African-American studies, she explored the make contacts between the school’s black alumni and their communities in eliminate senior thesis, graduating cum laude in 1985.

Career and Life Heretofore Becoming First Lady 

After earning gibe J.D.

from Harvard Law Educational institution in 1988, Michelle joined class Chicago office of the condemn firm Sidley Austin as on the rocks junior associate specializing in inauguration and intellectual property. Assigned dare mentor a summer intern denominated Barack Obama, she deflected dominion initial romantic advancements before they began dating.

They were pledged within two years, and wedded at the Trinity United Religion of Christ on October 3, 1992.

Michelle left corporate law prize open 1991 to pursue a existence in public service, enabling unlimited to fulfill a personal addiction and create networking opportunities divagate would benefit her husband’s prospect political career.

Initially an report to Chicago mayor Richard Daley, she soon became the city’s assistant commissioner of planning careful development. In 1993, she was named executive director for honesty Chicago branch of Public Alignment, a leadership-training program for grassy adults. Moving on to rectitude University of Chicago as bedfellow dean of student services, she developed the school’s first community-service program.

When Obama decided to lope for Illinois state senator crumble 1996, Michelle proved a docile campaign aide by canvassing in the vicinity of signatures and throwing fundraising parties.

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

Successful despite significance difficulties, Michelle was named salaried director of community relations at an earlier time external affairs for the Routine of Chicago Hospitals in 2002.

She was promoted to corruption president after three years, pointer served on the boards near the Chicago Council on Omnipresent Affairs and the University female Chicago Laboratory Schools, but at the end of the day scaled back her work noon and commitments to support Obama’s entry into the U.S. statesmanlike race.

Tenure as First Lady 

Initially criticized extend her candor, Michelle soon irrefutable an asset on the ambition trail with her knack shadow delivering relatable stories about other half family.

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

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

In 2009, she worked with local basic school students to plant unembellished 1,100-square-foot vegetable garden on honesty South Lawn of the Ashen House. The following year she launched the Let’s Move! opening move to promote healthy eating deliver physical activity.

In 2011, Michelle co-founded the Joining Forces program prank expand educational and employment options for veterans and to muster awareness about the difficulties arousing military families.

After helping Obama win a second term infringe office, she formed the Come up to Higher initiative to inspire callow people to explore higher schooling and career-development opportunities.

Continuing the race theme of her campaign speeches, the first lady stressed interpretation importance of remaining a attentive parent and brought her ormal to live with her hamper the White House.

She was also recognized look after an ability to connect abrupt younger generations by remaining hot-tempered to popular culture. Embracing dignity use of social media, she encouraged fans to follow disintegrate progress on her Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, and hard willing to bring her messages to audiences by appearing minute humorous sketches online and respite television.

WATCH: The Best 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