Michelle Obama speech inspires young crowd
Hundreds of teenage girls were vibrating with excitement Thursday afternoon as they waited outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
The focus of their feelings wasn’t Justin Bieber, or even Justin Trudeau, but former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama.
The wife of the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, was in Vancouver for two Greater Vancouver Board of Trade We For She-sponsored appearances.
“We’re so excited,” said Alysha Brooks, a 17-year-old student from Johnston Heights Secondary in Surrey, as she and other classmates stood waiting for the doors at the theatre to open. “She is so amazing and inspirational.”
Brooks was just one of a few hundred youths given tickets by Vancity.
During her years in the White House (2009-17) Michelle Obama became a role model for women and a champion for young girls and education.
“Education is the foundation that allows me to be who I am today,” Obama told the crowd. “Start taking your education serious, today.”
Obama touched on a few predictable topics. Education, the need for mentoring. She also honed in on social media and how she struggles with her kids, Sasha and Malia.
She didn’t mention president Donald Trump. Instead, she stuck to some of her social media coping techniques. She tells her kids to be careful and she tells herself to never read the comments.
“People are crazy out there, and they’re brave and bolder behind a computer screen,” Obama said. “I would never expose myself to someone’s random opinion of me.”
There was no mention of the Trump White House, or the school shooting that took 17 lives in Florida on Wednesday. The closest she got to politics was saying politics were divisive, not humanity.
The former first lady directed a lot of her points to the youth-heavy crowd. Many in attendance were career-minded students. They have plans for their futures and Obama’s history, growing up on the South Side of Chicago in a working-class family, was one they could relate to.
“You could see that if you worked hard you can become something. She did that,” said Sophie Offei, 17, also from Johnston Heights Secondary.
“She was just so inspiring, everything she said just reconciled with what I stand for,” said 15-year-old Burnaby Mountain Secondary student Maya Beninteso. “She is just such an inspiration to young women and young leaders.”
One of Obama’s talking points was how she does it all. Lesson learned here today was it’s OK to say “no” to things.
Obama said she puts herself and her family in her calendar first ahead of work, which the Princeton and Harvard graduate said wasn’t always easy, especially with her husband.
“(Barack) was always running for something. That was a hassle,” Obama said as the crowd laughed.
That simple-life premise resonated with Beninteso.
“For me, I struggle finding a balance in my life,” said Beninteso. “What with all my academics and my sports I learned that I really need to set aside time for myself.”
Still on the topic of making time for yourself, Obama said during her tenure at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, she and a group of girlfriends got away “once every quarter” to Camp David for a boot camp. The point was another simple but strong one made by the former first lady: You need friends and you need to be supportive of each other.
“Girlfriend time is much more important than date night, but don’t tell Barack,” said Obama, getting another laugh from the crowd of close to 3,000.
She continued on by telling the crowd that young women have to support, not tear each other down. To cheer for each other, not jeer each other on social media.
“It doesn’t behoove us to see each other as competition,” she said. “There will be no better support system that you have.”
Nina Dharsee, a teacher from Burnaby Mountain Secondary, was thrilled to be at the event and said the girls she brought will be riding high on this for a while.
“I am so glad I could share this with them. She is just such a compelling speaker and she speaks from the heart. She gives the most simple advice, but the most important. That’s what I loved.”