Here’s a look at the life of Michelle Obama, wife of 44th US President Barack Obama.
Personal:
Birth date: January 17, 1964
Birth place: Chicago, Illinois
Birth name: Michelle LaVaughn Robinson
Father: Fraser Robinson, water filtration worker
Mother: Marian (Shields) Robinson
Marriage: Barack Obama Jr. (October 3, 1992-present)
Children: Sasha, Malia
Education: Princeton University, B.A., 1985; Harvard University, J.D., 1988
Religion: Christian
Other Facts:
Graduated magna cum laude with a sociology degree from Princeton.
Met Barack Obama when she was assigned to be his mentor at Sidley & Austin, a Chicago law firm.
Her father suffered from and eventually died of multiple sclerosis.
Timeline:
1988-1991 – Associate attorney at Sidley & Austin in Chicago.
1991-1992 – Assistant to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
1992-1993 – Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development.
1993-1996 – Founding executive director of Public Allies Chicago.
1996-2002 – Associate Dean of Student Services for the University of Chicago and director of the University Community Service Center.
2002-2005 – Executive Director for Community Affairs for University of Chicago Hospitals.
2005-2007 – Member of the board of Tree House Foods, a food supplier for Wal-Mart stores.
2005-January 2009 – Executive Vice President of Community and External Affairs for UC Hospitals.
January 20, 2009 – Becomes the First Lady of the United States.
April 2009 – “Michelle Obama in her Own Words” is published.
February 2009 – Appears on the March cover of Vogue magazine.
February 9, 2010 – Launches the national campaign, “Let’s Move!,” to reduce childhood obesity.
April 2011 – Launches the national veterans’ campaign, “Joining Forces,” with Dr. Jill Biden.
June 20, 2011 – Travels to Africa for a week to focus on youth leadership, education, health and wellness.
June 21, 2011 – Visits former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela at his home.
May 29, 2012 – “American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America” is published.
February 24, 2013 – Michelle Obama presents the Academy Award for best picture at the Oscars.
March 13, 2013 – Along with other high profile celebrities and politicians, Michelle Obama’s financial information is hacked and posted online. Her student loan information and credit report are posted.
March 14, 2013 – Is on the cover of April’s edition of Vogue. This is the second time she has appeared on the cover.
May 2014 – Launches the national campaign, “Reach Higher,” a higher education initiative.
March 2015 – Launches the national campaign, “Let Girls Learn,” a global focus on girls’ education.
July 2015 – Guest edits “More” magazine. Obama is the magazine’s first guest editor as well as the first First Lady to guest edit an entire issue of “More.”
November 10, 2016 – The First Lady hosts the soon-to-be first lady, Melania Trump, for tea and a tour of the White House residence, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a White House briefing.
November 11, 2016 – Is on the cover of December’s edition of Vogue. This is the third time she has appeared on the cover.
January 13, 2017 – Gives her final White House remarks thanking her supporters and saying, “being your first lady has been the greatest honor of my life and I hope I’ve made you proud.”
September 27, 2017 – Remarks that “any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against their own voice” during an appearance at the Inbound 2017 conference in Boston.
