Michelle Obama's Impact on the President

First Lady from the South Side of Chicago Illinois

Sep 13, 2009

First Lady Michelle Obama was working on legal and governmental initiatives years before she became the wife of the 44th President of the United States.

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama was born on Chicago, Illinois’ South Side on January 17, 1964. Her mother, Marian Shields Robinson, worked as a secretary at Spiegel’s while her father, Frasier Robinson, was employed as a city pump operator at the City of Chicago Waterworks.

Sixteen months before Michelle was born, Frasier and Marian welcomed a son named Craig. Michelle and Craig would forge a close knit relationship beginning in their early years.

Humble Beginnings for the Country’s First Lady

The family lived in a one-bedroom apartment, a living situation that might have contributed to their spending lots of quality time together. After Michelle was born, her mother Marian left work to stay home with her children. Education was a chief focus in the Robinson home. Parents and siblings pushed each other to excel academically.

The family’s living room served as Craig and Michelle’s sleeping and playing quarters. Both children were astute students. Michelle attended Bryn Mawr Elementary School. She was taking French and enrolled in classes for gifted students before she reached the seventh grade. As noted at Biography, both she and her brother did well enough in academics to skip the second grade.

In 1981 Michelle graduated from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Chicago’s first magnet high school for gifted students. After she graduated class salutatorian, Michelle enrolled at Princeton University. Four years later in 1985 she would graduate from the university cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology.

Legal Issues for Michelle Robinson

Harvard University’s law school would beckon the scholar next. She would earn her law degree from the school in 1988. One year later while working as an associate attorney at Sidley Austin’s law firm, Michelle Robinson’s life would change forever.

To help mentor and support a new intern at the law firm, Barack Hussein Obama, the firm paired Michelle up with the newcomer in the hopes that she could help teach him more about the industry, current cases and the firm. They worked together for a month before Barack asked Michelle out on a date.

At first Michelle declined Barack’s invitation. Weeks would pass before she would have a change of mind. After just one date the two began seeing each other regularly away from work. Their relationship resulted in marriage on October 18, 1992 after a two year courtship.

Conflict and Resolution for the First Lady

The couple’s marriage ceremony was conducted at Trinity United Church of Christ and officiated by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Years later while her husband was campaigning for the office of the presidency, Trinity United Church of Christ would find itself in the national spotlight.

The church’s pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, would become known for making racially and politically charged comments from the pulpit and in the press. The controversial remarks would find Michelle and Barack removing their membership from the church that had held so many memories for them. Not only were they married at the church, both their daughters Natasha and Malia were baptized at Trinity.

Prior to the conflict and before her husband was in the thick of the political campaign, public office called Michelle. She responded by working as an assistant to Chicago’s mayoral office. She later worked as Executive Director for Chicago’s Public Allies office, an organization that helped prepare youth for the job market. Other jobs that Michelle held include Associate Dean of Chicago University’s Student Services and Executive Director of community relations and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

She was still working at the medical center when her husband earned a seat in the United States House of Representatives. On January 20, 2009 Michelle began the 44th First Lady of the United States when Barack won the presidency, making him the fifth youngest person to win the presidency behind Ulysses Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and William Clinton.

Together First Lady Michelle and President Barack Obama have two daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha. Standing 5’11”, the same height as Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Obama is the equally tallest First Lady thus far in American history.

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The copyright of the article Michelle Obama's Impact on the President in American Affairs is owned by Rhonda Campbell. Permission to republish Michelle Obama's Impact on the President in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.