Remarks by President Obama at Official Arrival Ceremony

South Lawn

9:44 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Good morning.

AUDIENCE:  Good morning. 

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Buenos dias.

AUDIENCE:  Buenos dias.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  On behalf of Michelle, myself, and the American people, it is my great honor to welcome our neighbor, friend and partner -- President Calderón, along with First Lady Margarita Zavala, and members of the Mexican delegation.  Welcome to the United States.  Bienvenidos.  (Applause.)   
                
President Calderón was the first foreign leader that I met after my election.  And this visit is an opportunity to return the extraordinary warmth and hospitality that the President, the First Lady and the people of Mexico have shown to me during my visits to Mexico, as well as to Michelle during her first solo international trip as First Lady. 

Mr. President, it is fitting that your visit comes during this year of celebration -- the bicentennial of Mexican independence and the centennial of the Mexican revolution.  And you and the Mexican people draw strength from your proud past to forge your future.  We recall the words of the great Octavio Paz who said:  “between tradition and modernity, there is a bridge.”  With this visit, we can also strengthen the many bridges that bind our two nations. 

The United States and Mexico are not simply neighbors, bound by geography and history.  We are, by choice, friends and partners.  We are bound by our business partners, workers and tourists who fuel our prosperity; by our students and educators who broaden our horizons; and by our men and women in uniform, who serve and sacrifice to keep us safe.

In the United States, we’re also proud of another bond -- the ties of family:  Mexican American families have been here for centuries, as well as those who continue to -- our proud tradition as a nation of immigrants, all of whom strengthen our American family and who join us today.

Mr. President, working together, we have built upon these bridges.  We forged a new era of cooperation and partnership between our countries, based on mutual interest, mutual respect and mutual responsibility.  And with your visit, we can advance our partnership even further.

Together, we can help create jobs and prosperity for our people.  We can ensure that our common border is secure, modern and efficient, including immigration that is orderly and safe.  We can stand firm, and deepen our cooperation, against the drug cartels that threaten our people.  And given Mexico’s global leadership, we can stand together for the opportunity and security of all people, in our hemisphere and beyond. 

Finally, Mr. President, your visit speaks to a truth of our time -- in North America and the world.  In the 21st century, we are defined not by our borders, but by our bonds.  So I say to you and to the Mexican people, let us stand together.  Let us face the future together.  Let’s us work together.  Trabajemos juntos.

President Calderón, Senora Zavala, welcome to the United States.  (Applause.)

END

Remarks by the President on the Economy in Youngstown, Ohio

V&M Star Plant, Youngstown, Ohio

1:30 P.M. EDT

     THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, hello, hello!  Hey!  (Applause.)  It’s good to see you.  Thank you.  Thank you, everybody.  Everybody please have a seat.

Let me first of all just say thank you to some people who are doing outstanding work, beginning with somebody who I think is one of the best governors we’ve got in this country and just a great guy.  Give it up for Ted Strickland, your governor.  (Applause.)  You’ve got an outstanding young mayor, Mayor Jay Williams.  (Applause.)  The mayor of Girard, Jim Melfi is here as well.  (Applause.)  Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner.  (Applause.)  And three terrific members of Congress:  Tim Ryan, Charlie Wilson, John Boccieri.  Give them all a big round of applause.  (Applause.)

     It is good to be back in Ohio.  And it is good to be back in Mahoning Valley.  I appreciate the chance to tour this unbelievable facility.  You know, sometimes when you’re President, you get kind of jaded.  You know, you’ve seen a lot of stuff, you go through these factories.  This one, when you walk through, is just unbelievable.  It’s like off of a movie set.  And so it was exciting to see, but what was especially exciting was to see all the people who are working here and to see the work that you’re doing here.

     So I saw the 85-ton electric arc furnace.  I didn’t see any evidence, but I know that you’re building Iron Man’s suits somewhere in here.  (Laughter.)

I appreciate the time that I’ve had to spend with all of you, partly because it’s just nice to get out of Washington.  Washington is a wonderful place, beautiful, nice monuments.  I have this nice home office, live right above the store so I don’t have a commute.  But sometimes in Washington, everybody is spending all their time arguing about politics and you lose track of the folks who sent you there in the first place.  And so it’s important for me to meet you directly and hear your concerns and your hopes and your dreams.  And I’ve been trying to make a habit out of doing this.  About once a week I try to take a trip like this just to talk to folks who are working in various parts of our economy and to find out what’s going on in communities.  And obviously the issue that’s front and center on everybody’s minds is the state of our economy.

In the two years I was running for President, I wasn’t any stranger to this state.  These guys know I came here an awful lot.  And I saw firsthand what years of failed policies have done to working families, and I saw how hard these guys were working to put Ohio back to work.  And the Mahoning Valley is a place that doesn’t need an economist to tell you when a recession begins or when a recession ends, because plenty of folks here have known their own private recessions for 10, 20, 30 years.  Now, they may not have seen one like the one we just had, with an unemployment rate here that’s at 14 percent and families having a tougher time than they’d ever imagined.  And a lot of people -- let’s just be blunt -- aren’t always real impressed when a governor or a President comes swooping in and talking about the economy, because the only headline they want to see is the headline that says “You’re hired.”

But I do want to talk about a piece of encouraging news for a change, something concrete, not just a lot of talk, because for a lot of the last two years, you didn’t always get a lot of good news.

A year ago, we took significant action to jumpstart economic growth and job creation.  That action included making investments in sectors with the greatest potential for private sector job growth -- areas like clean energy and infrastructure.

And one of those investments is going towards revitalizing the site right next door, preparing it for new construction, and building a rail spur that connects to the Norfolk Southern line that runs through town.  So as a result of this investment, V&M Star’s parent company decided to invest $650 million of its own money -- its own money -- (applause) -- to build a new one-million-square-foot mill right here in Youngstown, the largest industrial plant built in the valley since GM built its plant over in Lordstown in the 1960s.  Think about that -- biggest investment since the 1960s -- 50 years.  (Applause.)  So right here, in the heart of the old steel corridor, where some never thought we’d see an investment like this again, they’re placing a bet on American manufacturing and on this community.

And that bet is going to pay off for 400 construction jobs once they break ground this summer; 350 new manufacturing jobs once the mill comes online, which doubles the current workforce.  And, as everybody here knows, every time a new factory or plant opens or expands in America, it doesn’t just employ the people who are working at the plant, everybody here, suddenly, they’ve got a little more money to go buy lunch somewhere or buy a computer for their kids or do something else, and so it becomes an economic lifeline for the whole community, capable of supporting hundreds or even thousands of jobs indirectly.  And so that’s a success story that all of you are part of.

Now, I don’t want to suggest this one plant and the jobs it’ll create are going to make the difference for the entire community.  It took us decades to get to where we are; it’s going to take some time to get to the point where we need to be.  But just think about where we were a year ago:  Our economy was collapsing.  Our businesses were losing 750,000 jobs every month.  Economists across the spectrum were warning very seriously of the possibility of another Great Depression.  And all of this was on top of one of the toughest decades for America’s middle class that we’ve ever seen.

So that was the situation just a year ago.  Everybody has got kind of a selective memory here, but nobody was sure whether the economy was going to hold up.  So we had to make a choice: We could sit back, do nothing, make a bunch of excuses, play politics, and watch America’s decline -- or we could stand up and fight for our future.

And I ran for President, Youngstown, because I believe that we’re at a defining moment in our history.  And if we’re going to keep the American Dream alive -- not just for us, but for the next generation -- then we couldn’t just sit back and put off solving these big problems.  We had to tackle them head on.

Job one was rescuing our economy.  And that required some steps that were, frankly, unpopular -- steps like stabilizing a financial system that was on the brink of collapse, and intervening in an auto industry that was on the brink of extinction.  I knew those steps would be unpopular.  Even in Ohio, even in Michigan, even in auto-making states, if you polled, people said, don’t do anything about the auto companies.  And I knew politics being what it is, that some people would try to score political points off our decisions.

But I think it’s fair to say -- any fair-minded person would say that if we hadn’t acted, more people in the Valley, more people in Ohio, more people across America would be out of work today.  I mean, I can just give you a very concrete example -- the GM plant over in Lordstown would not be there.  Because GM would have liquidated.

Instead, GM is paying back its debts, turned a profit for the first time in three years, and a third shift is about to come back to work in Lordstown, putting that plant at maximum capacity.  (Applause.)  Right next door.  (Applause.)  And by the way, it was in part because of the decisions that these three guys made in Congress.  That’s not easy.  They’ve been knocked -- they’ve got bumps all over the backs of their heads -- some on top.  (Laughter.)  But it was the right thing to do. 

Today my administration is announcing a landmark agreement to help dozens of communities like Youngstown revitalize and redevelop old, shuttered GM facilities, preparing them for new industries, new jobs, and new opportunity.

These steps were the right thing to do.  And it was the right thing to do to give tax relief to small businesses and working families right in the middle of this enormous recession -- 4.5 million working families in Ohio alone got tax breaks.  Most of you guys didn’t know it, didn’t notice it in your paycheck.  We didn’t go around advertising it.  But each paycheck was a little bit bigger because of the steps that we took, and that meant that you could recirculate that money into the economy and keep demand up, which helped avert a depression.  That was the right thing to do.  

It was the right thing to do to give loans to small businesses to keep their doors open -- more than 2,400 right here in Ohio got small business loans, because of the Recovery Act, because of the work that these guys did. 

It was the right thing to do to extend unemployment benefits and make COBRA cheaper for people caught up in the recession until they could get back on their feet.  There’s probably not a single person here who doesn’t know somebody who either got unemployment benefits or used COBRA to make sure they could keep health insurance for their families when they lost their job.  That was the right thing to do.

It was the right thing to do to help governors like Ted avoid massive cuts to Medicaid and layoffs to teachers and police officers. 

And it was the right thing to do to invest in this town’s infrastructure.  We put all of that stuff in the recovery package because it was the right thing to do.

Now, we’ve got a long way to go before this recovery is felt in the lives of our neighbors and in all the communities that have lost so much ground in this recession and in years before. 

But despite that sobering reality, despite all the naysayers in Washington, who are always looking for the cloud in every silver lining, the fact is our economy is growing again.  Last month, we gained 290,000 jobs.  (Applause.)  So think about this.  We gained more jobs last month than any time in four years.  And it was the fourth month in a row that we’ve added jobs -- and almost all those jobs are in the private sector.  Everybody talks about government was doing this, government was doing that.  Now, what we did was we encouraged the private sector, gave them the funding, the financing, the support, the infrastructure support in order to invest and get the economy moving again. 

And last month also brought the largest increase in manufacturing employment since 1998 -- (applause) -- 1998, because I believe in manufacturing and I believe in manufacturing right here in the United States of America.  We can compete against anybody.  Youngstown can compete against anybody.  You got the best workers.  There’s no reason why we can’t compete with anybody if you guys have the support that you need.

And you know what?  I think those critics who have been trying to badmouth these efforts -- they know it’s working.  These folks who opposed this every step of the way, predicting nothing but failure, they know it’s working because -- this always puts a smile on my face -- even as they’ve tried to score political points attacking these members of Congress, a lot of them go home and then they claim credit for the very things they voted against.  They’ll show up at the -- to cut the ribbons.  They’ll put out a press release.  They’ll send the mailings touting the very projects that they were opposing in Washington.  They’re trying to have it both ways.

I know that’s hard to imagine in politics, that a politician might try to have it both ways, but here’s the fact:  If the “just say no” crowd had won out, if we had done things the way they wanted to go, we’d be in a deeper world of hurt than we are right now.  Families wouldn’t have seen those tax cuts.  Small businesses wouldn’t have gotten those loans or those health care tax credits that they’re now eligible for.  Insurance companies would still be deciding who they want to cover and when they want to cover them, and dropping your health care coverage whenever they felt like it. 

The steady progress we’re beginning to see across America would not exist.  And neither would the plant that you’re about to build.  So I invite anybody who thinks we shouldn’t have taken those actions that we took last year, or made those investments, to come to Youngstown and explain to us why that plant shouldn’t be built.  (Applause.)

     Come talk to Ted Strickland and the mayor.  Come tell us why companies like this in towns like Youngstown shouldn’t be given every chance to expand and add new jobs.  Tell us why small businesses shouldn’t receive tax credits so they can help purchase health insurance for their employees.  Explain why seniors shouldn’t get help paying for their medications when they hit that gap called the doughnut hole.  Explain why we should tell families that children with preexisting conditions aren’t going to be able to get health insurance because we decided that insurance companies should be able to do whatever they want. 

They need to explain why they would be nothing to make -- doing nothing to solve some of these problems that have been plaguing America for years now, decades.

So I’m here to say, that’s not how we deal with crises.  That’s not what America is about.  We did not become the greatest economic power that the world has ever known by avoiding problems.  The United States of America does not play for second place.  We step up.  We face our challenges.  We compete.  And we win.  And that’s something we should all agree on.  (Applause.)

But everybody should be able to agree on that, for all the things we’ve gotten done despite the unified, determined opposition of one party, imagine how much further we could have gotten if I’d gotten a little help.  (Applause.)  If people decided to step up. 

It doesn’t mean they have to agree with me on everything, but step up, take responsibility, don’t just play political games. 
                  
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  You’re welcome.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We got your back.

THE PRESIDENT:  I truly -- it is not too late to work together, not when there’s so much progress to make, so many more success stories like this one to write -- because we’re not Democrats first or Republicans first, we are Americans first.  That’s what we’re about.  (Applause.)

So I know it’s still tough.  I know a lot of times the future still feels uncertain.  And I’m not going to stand here and pretend that things are back to normal, or even close to where they need to be.  I read too many letters each night from people who are hurting, who are still out of work.  So I know things are still tough out there.  

But I will tell you one thing:  It’s people like you, people in towns like Youngstown all across America that I’m thinking about every single day when I go to the Oval Office.  I ran for office to make sure not just you but your kids and your grandkids have a shot at the American Dream because I wouldn’t be in office if somebody hadn’t worked hard to give me a shot at the American Dream.  I didn’t come from money.  I didn’t come from a powerful family.  I got a name nobody could pronounce.  (Laughter.)  But somebody gave me a shot.  Somebody made an investment in me.

That’s why I ran for President.  That’s why I wake up every morning insisting to everybody who works for me that we’re not going to rest until the future brightens for middle-class Americans all across this country, hardworking people.  And I’m absolutely convinced that the steps that we’re taking are going to help us bring about a better future for America.  (Applause.)

I believe that seeking new markets for our exports is the right thing to do, and that enforcing the rules of free and fair trade is the right thing to do for our workers and for our companies.  (Applause.)  I believe that investing in a clean energy economy to create good jobs of the future, building pipe for natural gas, but also building windmills and steel -- and turbines and advanced batteries for the new generation of electric cars, that’s the right thing to do for our economy and for our environment.  I believe that raising standards in our schools and making college more affordable and upgrading our community colleges is the right thing to do so that every child has a chance to live out their dreams.  (Applause.)  I believe that reforming our health care system to crack down on the worst practices of the insurance companies and giving everybody a decent shot at getting health insurance is the right thing to do.  (Applause.)  And trying to control costs on premiums is the right thing to do.  It’s the right thing to do for families and it’s the right thing to do for businesses.

So we’re going to keep up every effort to rebuild our economy and restore some security for the middle class -- a middle class forged in plants just like this one –- so that places like Youngstown don’t just survive year after year, but they are thriving year after year.  (Applause.)  And as long as I have the privilege of being your President, I’m going to keep fighting for a future that is brighter for this community, and for Ohio, and for the United States of America, the country that we love. 

God bless you.  God bless all the work here.  God bless the United States of America.  Appreciate you.  (Applause.)

                           END                  1:55 P.M. EDT
 

Remarks by the President Honoring the NCAA Champion University of Connecticut Women's Basketball Team

East Room

1:15 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  Please, have a seat, have a seat.  Well, welcome to the White House, everybody.  Congratulations to the UConn Huskies on your second straight undefeated season and your second straight NCAA championship.  (Applause.)  I want to point out this team has not lost a game since I was elected President.  (Laughter.)  I’m just saying. (Laughter.)

I want to acknowledge a few UConn fans who made the trek from the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue.  We've got Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman in the house.  (Applause.)  And Congressmen John Larson and Joe Courtney are here as well.  (Applause.) 

Now, when this team came to the White House last year, I was just pointing out to Maya, we went out back -- I've got a little court, we shot a little bit.  I'm not going to say who won.  (Laughter.)  But I noticed then there were people who were saying, you know, these Huskies, they’ve got a little too much swagger, because they said that they’d be back in 2010.  They said that at the time.  I'm not sure anybody believed them.  I believed them, listening to them, and that confidence was well-deserved. 

This team has had an unbelievable run.  I think most of you know the statistics:  Seven of the last 16 NCAA titles; six undefeated regular seasons; four undefeated championship seasons. 

And last year, Coach Auriemma promised you guys would go 40-0 this year.  It’s not your fault that he can't do math very well -- there were only 39 games.  (Laughter.)  So, Coach, you can't win 40 if there are only 39 games. (Laughter.)  But 39-0 is pretty good.  These women beat their own NCAA record to become the first women’s basketball team in history to win 78 games in a row over the past two years -- which is just a staggering achievement.

And I was telling them Michelle and I work out in the morning -- we've got a little gym here in the White House.  And we’d just watch Sports Center.  I know you’ll be surprised that we don't watch the news shows.  (Laughter.)  But this is really true.  During the entire season, I just kept on repeating, and I truly believed this was the best team in all of sports, any sport, any gender, by far.  (Applause.)  And that's just something that made us all very proud.

I want to point out that Coach Geno’s teams have had a 100 percent graduation rate over the past 25 years.  (Applause.)  And that’s true again this year -- because these players work as hard in the classroom as they do on the court.

I want to congratulate the seniors that graduated last week -- if I'm not mistaken, number one WNBA draft pick Tina Charles -- (applause) -- is going to be graduating.  Jacquie Fernandes, Meghan Gardler, Kalana Greene and Kaili McLaren.  Give them all a big round of applause.  (Applause.)  Congratulations to Tina for winning the Naismith Trophy as player of the year -- for graduating as UConn’s all-time scoring leader.

I do have to say, though, Maya has her sights set on that record.  She’s coming after it.  (Laughter.)  And, Maya, congratulations on being named the Final Four’s most valuable -- most outstanding player.  When you consider that Maya says she approaches her academics as she does her basketball, it’s no surprise that she was named first team Academic All-American for the third year in a row.  That is worth an applause.  (Applause.) 

So obviously this team was under enormous pressure this season.  Everyone was watching and waiting for them to stumble, figuring out -- figuring there was no way for them to go undefeated again.  When your toughest test came in this year’s national championship game -- you trailed the longest that you had all year -- you came out swinging in the second half and brought that championship home yet again to the Storrs community that loves and believes in you so deeply.

And when you’re at home in Storrs, you apply that same winning attitude off the court.  You read with elementary children, spend time with cancer patients.  Today, you brought that sense of service to Washington, visiting wounded warriors in Walter Reed.  And I know they were thrilled to see you.

Whether it’s winning a national championship, balancing practice with schoolwork, or serving others, these young women made it all look easy, despite the fact that we all know they put in enormous amounts of work.  It’s that perseverance and dedication and that will to succeed that makes them so special. 

And that’s why every single one of these young women sets a terrific example for girls and women today -- as athletes, as scholars and as leaders.  And I think, Coach, you have just been an extraordinary leader, and I think all of us are extremely proud of the example that you’ve set.

So, as your President, I commend you for setting that example.  As the father of two tall girls -- (laughter) -- who are also very cute and -- (laughter) -- also do great work in the classroom -- I'm just so glad that they’ve got all of you to look up to, and I thank you for it.  I will say I will be very impressed if you make it here a third time in a row.  (Laughter.) 

Congratulations to all of you.  Give them a big round of applause.  (Applause.) 

END
1:23 P.M. EDT

Remarks by The First Lady at George Washington University Commencement

National Mall
Washington, D.C.

10:55 A.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Wow.  Thank you all.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  “Dr. Obama” -- I like that.  (Laughter.)  I think I'll have everybody at home start calling me that.  (Laughter.) 

Thank you.  I am so honored to help you celebrate this wonderful day. 

And thank you, Ally; thank you, Dr. Knapp, for your generous introduction.  I also want to thank Russ Ramsey, Chair of the George Washington University Board of Trustees.

And congratulations to the extraordinary young men and women of the Class of 2010!  (Applause.) 

You guys, you should be so proud of yourselves and your incredible accomplishments.  But let’s not forget all the people who also share in that pride –- again, your moms and dads, and brothers and sisters, your friends, grandparents, mentors –- all of whom took this journey with you in ways both seen and unseen.  So this is their day, too.  So let’s give them another round of applause and thank you.  (Applause.)

Now, I’m here today for a reason -- and not just because it’s a quick commute.  (Laughter.)  I am here because, as you’ve seen, eight months ago, I used you all in great ways.  I issued a challenge to the students, faculty, staff, and trustees of GW.  I promised you that if you performed 100,000 hours of service to the greater Washington community this school year, that I’d come and speak at your commencement.

Well, I am a woman of my word!  So congratulations on this remarkable achievement.  Thank you for the incredible contributions that you’ve made to the lives of so many people.

But I will say that if I had known that you’d complete more than 3,300 hours on the first day of the challenge -- (laughter) -- I'd probably have picked a higher number!  (Laughter.)

Each month, you sent me just wonderful letters updating your progress.  “Dear Mrs. Obama, we’re at 19,000 hours.”  “Dear Mrs. Obama, we’re at 46,000 hours.”  “Dear Mrs. Obama, we’ve at 73,958 hours.”  (Laughter.)  Yes, I got every minute of detail.  (Laughter.)  And soon enough, I realized, “Uh-oh, I better start working on that commencement speech!”  (Laughter.)

But more impressive than the fact that you did it was really how you did it.  Your letters were filled with, oh, wonderful stories of holding food drives, and beautifying parks, and making care packages for our troops and writing postcards to their families.

You helped your neighbors in Foggy Bottom dig out after “Snowmageddon” –- an effort spurred by Ally.

And led by junior Eden Sutley, you helped more than 1,000 -- hey, Eden, yay for Eden -- (applause) -- you helped more than 1,000 World War II veterans from her home state of Louisiana come to see the monuments on this Mall and visit their fallen friends at Arlington.

You hosted about 200 local senior citizens for GW’s eighth annual Senior Prom.  And yes, I saw the photos, and it looked like they were showing you all how to dance.  (Laughter.) 

GW law students -- (applause) -- you showed a greater commitment to community and public service careers than ever before.  GW medical students -- (applause) -- they ran their own clinic in Anacostia for our neighbors most in need of medical aid, and so many students wanted to do it that you had to hold a lottery.  And more than 500 of you spent Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Roosevelt Senior High School here in D.C.  You repainted the classrooms, and revamped the athletic facilities, you updated the library.  You all restored an entire school.  And just think about that.  What was just a few hours to you is going to make the difference for thousands of young lives for years to come.

And those are just some of the stories that I’ve read in your letters.  But what you may not know is that the people whose lives you’ve touched, they also sent me letters.

One was from a local retirement community for veterans and their spouses.  On September 11, the day that I issued the challenge to you, more than 100 of you hopped on a bus and spent the day there.

And the letter described in moving detail how you altered your plans to stay an extra hour so you could keep talking with an original Tuskegee Airman; how you decided to set up regular visits with the veterans; how you started a monthly intergenerational discussion group.  I mean, the letter went on and on about just how incredible you were.  And it described just what your efforts meant to those veterans.  But it also showed me what theirs meant to you.

And that’s what you guys have done, simply because this university decided to play a role in the life of its neighbors.  You have made immeasurable differences in the life of this community and to your country.  And you should be so proud, because we certainly are.

And for every act of service that you performed for the community here in D.C., you committed yourselves to serving the greater global community, as well.

I’m talking about the more than 200 of you who took your winter breaks abroad –- building a school in Guatemala, community center in Peru, comforting the sick in Ecuador; the freshman who spent his break in Ghana helping prevent blindness; and the students who helped Sudanese refugees settle in Tennessee; stepping in one night to teach when the refugees’ English teacher didn’t show up –- a class that the refugees called their very best.

So even as you’ve buried yourselves in your books, becoming thoughtful and educated scholars -- so parents, they did that, right? -- (laughter) -- you’ve also immersed yourselves in your community, becoming active and engaged citizens. 

You have fully joined a generation of activists and doers.  And when you think about how your generation has come of age, that’s pretty astounding.  I mean, you all have seen so much.  Just since you were in middle school, you’ve witnessed terrorism touch our soil, you’ve seen the cost of war reach into our communities.  You’ve watched unimaginable devastation and suffering in the aftermath of a tsunami; a hurricane; an earthquake.  You’ve felt the wrath of a recession that’s changed your towns and even your families. 

Now, that’s a whole lot to bear for any generation.  So, no one would have blamed you had you chosen to hunker down and turn inward; if you had simply focused on making sure that your own lives were secure.

But so many of you have done the exact opposite.  Instead, you’ve dived in.  You’ve reached out.  You have volunteered and applied to organizations like Teach for America and the Peace Corps in record numbers.  In fact, this year is the second year in a row that GW led universities of this size in the number of undergraduate alumni serving in the Peace Corps.  (Applause.)

So for every ill of this interconnected world, you’ve tried to find a way to make good.  Where there’s hate, you’ve tried to heal it.  Where there’s need, you’ve tried to fill it.  Where there’s devastation, you’ve tried to rebuild it.

You guys can’t be stopped.  You don’t know the meaning of the word “can’t.”  And every time someone’s tried to say to tell you that, you’ve replied what -- “Oh, Yes We Can.”  (Laughter and applause.)

In fact, you remind me of something President Wilson once said.  He said, “Sometimes people call me an idealist.  Well, that’s the way I know I’m an American.”

Even so, you’ve probably also run up against people who love your idealism, but warn you to lower your sights; to scale back your ambitions a bit; to settle for something less.

And you know their hearts may be in the right place.  They may be worried that you’re in for a letdown once you realize that it can take years and even decades for your best efforts to bear fruit.  See, we live in a culture, after all, that tells us that our lives should be easy; that we can have everything we want without a whole lot of effort.

But the truth is -- and you know this -- creating anything meaningful takes time.  And sometimes, the only thing that happens in an instant is destruction.

And I say this because during our trip to Haiti, Jill Biden and I, we got to visit the people there, and there amidst so much misery and destruction, all of which occurred in a matter of minutes, it is so easy to ask:  After so much ruin, how can anything rise again?  After so much loss, how can anyone still have hope? 

But let me tell you that everyone I met during that visit –- doctors, relief workers; Haitians, Americans, citizens of the world –- they were focused on the task of answering those questions.  Yeah, they were exhausted and they were heartbroken.  But they were equally unyielding in their determination to help that country heal, and fully aware of how many years that would take.

And by the way, I also met with President Preval and his wife, Elisabeth, who’s a GW graduate herself.  And she just went on and on about how GW, the community, has been there at the forefront of the efforts to help Haiti from the very beginning.

But the point is, everyone I encountered during my trip embodied a Haitian proverb that I learned which says that, “little by little, the bird builds its nest.”  And your generation is doing its best to live by this idea.

You see, as impatient as you may be to get out there and change the world –- and that’s a good thing –- you’re equally patient for that change to come.  As idealistic as all of you may be, what your generation has lived through has also tempered you with a deep realism. 

You understand things that perhaps your parents and I even don’t always have to consider when our world was still separated by walls of concrete and communication.

That we are no longer isolated from what happens on the other side of the world.  That it’s in our best interest to look beyond our immediate self-interest, and look out for one another globally.  That so many of today’s challenges are borderless, from the economy to terrorism to climate change, and that solving those problems demands cooperation with others.  And more than any other generation, yours is fully convinced that you’re uniquely equipped to solve those challenges.  You believe that you can change your communities and change the world.  And you know what, I think you’re right.  Yes, you can.

So today, graduates, I have one more request to make of you, one more challenge, and that is:  Keep going.  Keep giving.  Keep engaging.

I’m asking you to take what you’ve learned here and embrace the full responsibilities that a degree from an institution like GW gives you.  I’m asking your generation to be America’s face to the world.  It will make the world safer, it will make America stronger, and it will make you more competitive.

Now, you didn’t think I’d show up here without another challenge, did you?  (Laughter.) 

I know that some of you may be thinking, well, “Hang on, Michelle.  I’m in debt, I’ve got to find a job in a tough economy, and now you want me to what?”

And I know there are parents out there thinking the same thing.  “Hang on, Michelle.  I just shelled out six figures to get my kid to this day, and now you want her to do what?”  (Laughter.)

I’m just asking you to keep being you, to keep doing what you’re doing.  Just take it global.

Yes, that can mean serving in the world’s most broken places.  Or it can simply mean surfing foreign news sources to get an idea of how other young people see things in other parts of the world.

It can mean continuing your own personal and professional growth by traveling far and wide.  Or it can mean reaching back to convince the students behind you to try study abroad programs, especially students from communities and backgrounds who might not normally consider it.

It can mean seizing that overseas opportunity with a company.  Or it can mean staying here and fixing the world by doing business with the world, and, at the same time, creating opportunity in your own community.

This class of graduates in particular has a leg up, because at GW, you’ve already been trained to think this way.  Nearly half of undergraduates here study abroad.  As Zoe said, you can’t walk a block without running into the State Department, or the World Bank, or any number of NGOs and faith-based organizations.  And all around you, every day, are classmates and friends from more than 130 different countries.  So for you, it’s as easy as falling out of bed, even if some of you stay in bed until noon.  (Laughter.)

But so many Americans either don’t have those opportunities or simply don’t consider them.

And as interconnected as we are; as quickly as the 21st century global economy moves; we have to find ways to extend those opportunities to as many young people as possible.

And I say this as someone who, like, perhaps many of your parents, didn’t always have or consider those opportunities.  As you heard, I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, where the idea of spending some time abroad just didn’t register.  My brother and I were the first in our families to go to college, so we were way more focused on just getting in, getting through, and getting on with our lives.  And after law school, my priority was paying off my student debt.  So, I just never considered that I needed to take an additional journey or expand the boundaries of my own life.

And then I met my husband, whose life was -- yeah, yeah -- (laughter) -- his life was somewhat different than mine.  His had been more informed by experiences abroad.  And watching him helped me to expand the way I looked at things; to consider my life as connected not just to my country but to the world.  And it’s a perspective that we now are trying to instill in our daughters, as well. 

And today, fortunately my new role, it affords me extraordinary opportunities to visit foreign countries.  And during these trips, I try to spend as much time as possible with young people.  And those experiences are what convince me so fully that it’s in this nation’s best interest that your generation get out there, because it’s going to strengthen all of us.

Now, there are some things that government can do, and things that I’ll pursue as First Lady, to bring these opportunities within reach to more young people.

For example, my husband is committed to substantially increasing the number of volunteer opportunities within the Peace Corps.  And, by the way, joining the Peace Corps only requires that you be young at heart, because the oldest active member is 85 years old!  (Applause.)

We’re also expanding exchange programs, study abroad opportunities; and encouraging universities like GW to create their own, because as those of you who have already participated in study abroad know, the most lasting lessons sometimes don’t always come from books.

But more important than anything government can do will be a sincere willingness on your part to keep sharing your enthusiasm; to keep believing that you can make a difference; to keep going to places where there is brokenness and injustice and despair, and asking what you can do to lift those places up.

It is through the simple act of engaging with your counterparts around the world that you can make the world a safer place.  As you know, in times of tension, we tend to focus on what makes us different -– things like color or creed; class or country -– when sometimes, that only serves to deepen misunderstanding and harden mistrust.  In the midst of our struggles, we too easily forget about all that we share in common –- that no matter where or how we live, we all have the same dreams:  a life of dignity, a chance at opportunity, a better future for our kids.

It reminds me of a story our Secretary of State and friend, Hillary Clinton, told during a visit to one of our embassies earlier this year.  She spoke about a meeting she attended with a State Councilor of China, who proudly told her that he had just had his first grandchild.

And Secretary Clinton responded that she thought everyone should bring pictures of their children and grandchildren to international meetings, and set those pictures right in front of them and ask themselves, “Is the decision that we’re about to make going to make their lives better?”  And then at the very next meeting together, the first thing he did when he had arrived was pull out a picture of his grandchild.

Now, perhaps some of you have had similar interactions with your classmates; interactions that helped you discover that when we just make that effort to engage with one another; when we share our stories; we begin to build familiarity that often ultimately softens mistrust.  We begin to see ourselves in one another.  We begin to realize that the forces that bind us are so much more powerful than the forces that blind us.

And because many of you already serve around the world, this class knows firsthand that each one of those interactions in the world has the power to start a chain reaction.  Every child that learns to read can teach another.  Every girl taught that she has power inspires dozens of others.  Every school built improves thousands of lives. 

And just as that makes the world safer, it also makes America stronger.

Imagine a child whose first memory of an American is a student who helps him see again.  Imagine a community whose first experience with America is a group of youth on winter break standing side by side with them building homes.  Imagine a country shattered by a catastrophic earthquake that they see wave after wave of rescuers and doctors and relief workers all wearing the stars and stripes on their sleeve.

Imagine how powerful that is.  Imagine what impact thousands of stories like that today can have a decade from now.

Now, this is not to discourage any American from continuing to serve in their own communities in this country as best they can, especially in a time when so many fellow Americans need help here at home.  And thanks to the ingenuity of the American people, and a newly strengthened AmeriCorps, there are more opportunities to serve at home than ever before.

But just know that when you serve others abroad, you’re serving our country, too.  You’re showing the world the true face of America –- our generosity, our strength, the enduring power of our ideals, the infinite reservoir of our hope.

And yes, serving abroad will make you stronger, more competitive, a more valuable asset for a career in the public or private sectors.  Just talk to any of your colleagues who have spent some time abroad.  And one of the first things they’ll tell you, for example, is that you’ll never learn a language or develop self-reliance as quickly as you will when you’re on your own in a foreign country!

But they may also tell you that making a difference abroad might just be the thing that inspires you to come back and make a difference here at home.  They might tell you that engaging with the world doesn’t just change the course of other people’s lives -– it may change the course of yours, too.  You may just find that pivot point that you’ve been looking for, or maybe one that you didn’t even expect at all.

An extraordinary young woman that I met in Mexico last month, during my visit, she told me that in high school, she felt as if she were living in a bubble.  So on a whim, she went to Vietnam to volunteer with children.

She described her days there as very “unfair” and “difficult.”  She said there were days there “that [made] us feel meaningless.”  But she also said there were days “…where I felt I could change the world.”  And that trip made her realize she wanted to be a doctor.  And when she returned to Mexico, she enrolled in medical school.  But her journey led her to an important pivot point in her life.  She said, and these are her words, “I realized that this is my country.  This is where I belong and this is my culture, where I need to help.”

You see, that young woman, she went halfway around the world before she found her way home.  And I suspect that something has -- like that has happened to many of you.

I know it did for Davina Durgana, who’s a remarkable young woman who’s graduating with you today.  A simple mission trip to El Salvador inspired her to take up the cause of human trafficking –- modern day slavery -– when she came back.  She found an internship that allowed her to work on an anti-human trafficking campaign, and she’s going to pursue graduate studies in human rights next year at the Sorbonne.

And by the way, Davina, she also serves as a Big Sister to a young girl in Anacostia; she volunteers with wounded warriors at Walter Reed; she helped run a Girl Scouts troop where she encouraged underprivileged girls to get involved; she volunteers as an EMT at the busiest fire department in the D.C. area, and convinced other classmates to join her –- and, somehow, she found time to graduate!  That's for your parents, Davina.  (Laughter.)

In the end, the simple act of opening your mind and engaging abroad –- whether it’s in the heart of campus or in the most remote villages -– can change your definition of what’s possible. 

And more importantly, you can change ours.  See, after all, it’s your generation that always has –- often from the very Mall where we’re sitting right now.  I mean, just look around you.  It was on this Mall where young people marched for women’s rights.  It was on this Mall where young people marched for civil rights.  It was on this Mall where young people marched for peace, for equality, for awareness.

Decade after decade, young Americans who loved their country; and loved its ideals; who knew that it stood for something larger in the world; came here to this spot to wade into the rushing currents of history because they believed that they could change its course.

And on a cold January morning last year, many of you came here to wade in yourselves.  It was the day my husband took the oath of office as President of the United States.  And that day, he pledged to seek a new era of American engagement, and he asked each of us to embrace anew our duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world.

Now, I’m not a President.  I’m just a citizen.  But as a citizen, I'm asking you, as graduates of this global institution, to seize those responsibilities gladly.  I’m asking you to fully embrace your role in the next vital chapter of our history.  I’m asking you to play your part.

And from what I’ve seen from your class, I have no doubt that you will.  Look, we believe in you so deeply.  So, your new challenge begins now –- and it’s one that doesn’t end after 100,000 hours. 

So thank you, graduates.  I wish you God’s grace and the greatest luck on the journey ahead.  Congratulations.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END
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