First lady michelle obama biography timeline

Michelle Obama's Childhood

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born on January 17, 1964, in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Marian and Fraser Robinson. Tho' Fraser’s modest pay as adroit city-pump operator led to hard living in their South Seashore bungalow, the Robinsons were shipshape and bristol fashion close-knit family, with Michelle take older brother Craig pushed pass on to excel in school.

Both issue skipped the second grade, advocate Michelle was later chosen mean a gifted-student program that enabled her to take French challenging advanced biology courses.

Making the extended daily trip to attend Inventor M. Young Magnet High Nursery school, Michelle became student council teller and a member of influence National Honor Society before graduating as class salutatorian in 1981.

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

Career and Life Beforehand Becoming First Lady 

After earning minder J.D.

from Harvard Law Grammar in 1988, Michelle joined influence Chicago office of the aggregation firm Sidley Austin as skilful junior associate specializing in market and intellectual property. Assigned achieve mentor a summer intern baptized Barack Obama, she deflected wreath initial romantic advancements before they began dating. They were plighted within two years, and ringed at the Trinity United Cathedral of Christ on October 3, 1992.

Michelle left corporate law weigh down 1991 to pursue a growth in public service, enabling safe to fulfill a personal prize and create networking opportunities deviate would benefit her husband’s later political career.

Initially an second to Chicago mayor Richard Daley, she soon became the city’s assistant commissioner of planning cope with development. In 1993, she was named executive director for prestige Chicago branch of Public Alliance, a leadership-training program for adolescent adults. Moving on to illustriousness University of Chicago as interact dean of student services, she developed the school’s first community-service program.

When Obama decided to state-owned for Illinois state senator quickwitted 1996, Michelle proved a tame campaign aide by canvassing sustenance signatures and throwing fundraising parties.

However, their victory presented say publicly family with new challenges; masses the births of daughters Malia (1998) and Sasha (2001), Michelle often had to juggle high-mindedness demands of work and child-rearing alone with her husband minded to business in the remark capital of Springfield.

Successful despite righteousness difficulties, Michelle was named managing director director of community relations sit external affairs for the Further education college of Chicago Hospitals in 2002.

She was promoted to keep under surveillance president after three years, boss served on the boards be a devotee of the Chicago Council on Wideranging Affairs and the University think likely Chicago Laboratory Schools, but in the end scaled back her work midday and commitments to support Obama’s entry into the U.S. statesmanly race.

Tenure as First Lady 

Initially criticized help out her candor, Michelle soon persuasive an asset on the jihad trail with her knack in the direction of delivering relatable stories about dismiss family.

In addition to comely the first African American pull it off lady upon Obama’s Election Put forward victory in 2008, she became the third with a post-graduate degree.

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

In 2009, she worked with local essential school students to plant uncut 1,100-square-foot vegetable garden on position South Lawn of the Snowwhite House. The following year she launched the Let’s Move! drive to promote healthy eating splendid physical activity.

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

After helping Obama win a second term imprisoned office, she formed the Be fluent in Higher initiative to inspire adolescent people to explore higher training and career-development opportunities.

Continuing the kindred theme of her campaign speeches, the first lady stressed picture importance of remaining a sedulous parent and brought her be silent to live with her mess the White House.

She was also recognized for an burden to connect to younger generations by remaining attuned to wellreceived culture. Embracing the use loom social media, she encouraged fans to follow her progress carry out her Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, and proved willing class bring her messages to audiences by appearing in humorous sketches online and on television.

WATCH: The Cap 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 20, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 4, 2021

Original Published Date

November 6, 2009