Remarks by the First Lady at Discussion with High School and College Students

Howard University
Washington, D.C.

2:42 P.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  Thanks, you guys.  (Applause.)  Thanks, Bow Wow.  Let’s give it up for Bow Wow.  Very proud of this young man.  I have grown very fond of him.  We’ve done some good work together, and his commitment to education, his commitment to young people, and BET’s commitment, it just means the world to me and I know it means the world to all of you.

But I am so excited to be here with all of you.  We’re going to have a chance to talk and really get candid and all that sort of stuff.  But I want to welcome you all to Washington, D.C., and also to Howard University -- one of the finest universities in the country.  (Applause.)  On this beautiful campus, on this beautiful day -- for those of you from Chicago, the weather here is better.  (Laughter.)  It’s not hard when you’re from Chicago.

But this is such an important occasion, and this is one of the reasons why I’m here.  Because one of the things that Barack and I are focusing on and will be focusing on for the rest of our lives, quite frankly, is making sure that young people understand the importance of an education.  And that means education beyond high school.

No longer is high school the bar.  That is not enough in today’s globalizing economy.  You have got to go to college, or get some kind of professional training beyond college.  And one of the goals that the President set is trying to make sure that we are the -- once again, the leader in college graduates in the world.  It’s called his North Star Goal.  We were at the top years back, but now we’ve fallen very far behind the rest of the world. 

And it’s going to be up to all of you, because while there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on our end -- governments, private sector, the folks with money -- I want to talk to you all.  Because at the very least, you all have complete control over your futures.  How you approach your education is really still within your hands.  You don’t have time to wait for everybody to fix the system for you.  We have to have a hunger for education like we had when our parents and grandparents were fighting for us to have the right to come to these schools and to get the education.

So now, it’s up to you all to take that baton and do the very best you can with it.  And that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to be here with all of you, because this transition for some of you may be a little scary.  It may be unknown.  It was that way for me when I was growing up.  I mean, my older brother went to college, but I didn’t know anything about what my college experience was going to be like.

Unlike you all, I didn’t get tours like -- I didn’t even go on a college tour.  I didn’t go on a single -- nobody went on college tours.  It would have been nice to see what a dorm looked like.  The only reason I saw a dorm was because I visited my brother once when he was in college.  That was the only exposure. 

And I applied here, I applied to Howard.  I applied to Northwestern.  I applied to the University of Wisconsin, Madison -- but I don’t even know why I applied.  I knew why I applied to Howard, but everywhere else was just a crapshoot.  They sent me a brochure, I was like, okay, I’ll apply.  (Laughter.)  I got in.  It’ll look -- the pictures looked nice.  That was all that I had.

So the fact that you guys have this opportunity to spend a weekend on a college campus and really get a feel for what this experience is going to be like is really a tremendous opportunity that I hope you all take advantage of.

So I’m going to stop talking, because I really want to hear from you all.  You guys, feel free to ask anything.  I’m going to turn it back over to Bow Wow, and then we’ll just talk.  We’ll get real candid.  And then when the press leaves, we’ll really get candid.  (Laughter.) 

END
2:49 P.M. EDT

First Lady Michelle Obama to Address 2014 Graduating Seniors

This year, First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver commencement addresses at Dillard University, an assembly of high schools in the Topeka, Kansas Public School District, and the District of Columbia College Access Program (DC-CAP). All of these institutions are supporting the First Lady’s higher education initiative and doing their part to answer the President’s call to ensure that by the year 2020, America once again has the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

The First Lady will deliver remarks at Dillard University because of its legacy as one of America’s top historically black universities; she will address high school students in Topeka, Kansas - home of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Brown vs. Board of Education - which will celebrate its 60^th anniversary the same day as the First Lady’s remarks; and she will deliver remarks at the Graduation Celebration of the DC College Access Program (DC-CAP) to highlight the important work that CAP is doing to ensure that first  generation, low income students are graduating from high school ready to pursue a higher degree.

The commencement addresses will be open press, but space is limited. Members of the media who wish to cover the commencements must RSVP directly to the contacts listed below.

Dillard University on Saturday, May 10 at 10:00 AM (Central)
First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver the commencement address to the class of 2014 at Dillard University in New Orleans, LA on Saturday, May 10 at 10:00 AM Central. Dillard is a private four-year liberal arts historically black university with a history dating back to 1869. Academically, Dillard is listed on: Forbes’ 2013 list of Top Colleges and Universities in the U.S., top 60 liberal arts institutions by the Washington Monthly (2013), and is consistently one of U.S News and World Report’s top Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  The University has been fully engaged in the economic development of the Gentilly community in which it is located as well as the city of New Orleans.  Dillard University partners with 12 community organizations, businesses and local schools in implementing such projects as home buyer workshops, community health fairs, edible gardens and water sustainability. Its Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center also partners with local health institutions to study and address diseases such as diabetes, obesity and colon cancer, which are common to underserved individuals in the New Orleans community.

The remarks will celebrate the achievements of the graduating class of high school seniors in Topeka, home of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education, which is celebrating its 60^th anniversary this year. 

DC College Access Program (DC-CAP) Graduation Celebration on June 19 at 6:00 PM (Eastern)
Mrs. Obama will deliver remarks at the Graduation Celebration for the DC College Access Program (DC-CAP) on Thursday, June 19 at 6:00 PM Eastern at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. DC-CAP is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping DC high school students prepare for, enroll in, and graduate from college. The overwhelming majority of students served by DC-CAP are from low-income, minority, single-parent households and are the first in their families to attend college. DC-CAP provides student and parent college readiness counseling starting in 9th grade helping families navigate the college application and financial aid process throughout the high school years. DC-CAP also provides integral support and financial assistance for students while in college. Since DC-CAP’s inception in 1999, the program has played a critical role in helping to double the number of students enrolling in college and tripling the number who graduate in DC.  The event is an opportunity to applaud their achievement and honor their families who supported them.

Additional information on Commencement Addresses by First Lady Michelle Obama:
In 2009, Mrs. Obama spoke at the graduation of University of California Merced’s first full senior class. She also addressed the Washington Math and Science Tech Public Charter High School Graduation in Washington DC. In 2010, Mrs. Obama addressed graduates of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the George Washington University, and the Anacostia Senior High School. In 2011, Mrs. Obama delivered commencement addresses at the University of Northern Iowa, Spelman College, and Quantico Middle High School. The First Lady also spoke to graduates and families at West Point. In 2012, Mrs. Obama spoke at the graduation of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T), and Oregon State University (OSU). In 2013, Mrs. Obama addressed graduates of Eastern Kentucky State University, Bowie State University, and Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet High School.