Check out excerpts from the interview below! (h/t Cocoafab)
First Lady Michelle Obama is already every woman’s girl crush, but now she’s winning over young people thanks to her visit to BET’s 106 & Park. FLOTUS stopped by for an interview, which airs Tuesday at 6pm EST, and opened up about her daughters, the importance of education and ignoring what the naysayers have to say. Check out a few excerpts from her interview.
On the advice she would give her daughters about education:
“The same thing that my parents told me. You know, they have to put 120% in your education. And one of the things that I’m hoping to develop is their passion for learning. So many young people just get into the grades and checking the boxes—just doing what they think they’re supposed to do. But there’s also a value in learning how to love to learn, because you’re gonna have to be doing that forever. The way jobs are going now, nothing is set in stone. It’s not like people are working at the same job forever and in the end, getting that gold watch. People are needing to retrain and be able to re-educate themselves so that they stay on top of the jobs of the future. I want my girls to be life-long learners. But I also don’t want them to take anything for granted. They don’t have any excuse not to be outstanding students.
On wanting Sasha and Malia to have the college experience:
“I’ve been talking to my kids about college and getting them to think about how much fun that’s going to be, and getting excited about the possibility of living on a campus with other young people. You know, being able to explore and making it something that they are desperate to get at, you know? I don’t want them staying at home up under me!”
On what she’d tell her younger self:
“You know, that girl was always afraid. You know, I was thinking, maybe I’m not smart enough. Maybe I’m not bright enough. Maybe there are kids that are working harder than me. I was always worrying about disappointing someone or failing. And the thing that I would tell that girl is, ‘Don’t worry about failure because failure is the key to success and you are smart enough to sit at any table and compete and have your voice heard.’ Fortunately, I’ve come to know that.”
On applying and getting accepted to Princeton despite being discouraged by counselors:
“I was breathing a sigh of relief because by then [senior prom], I had gotten into Princeton. Even though there were counselors and people told me that I shouldn’t reach that high—that I didn’t have what it takes to get into a school like Princeton. But I ignored that naysayers, I got myself together, I focused on my application and I sent my forms in. It turned out that my parents could provide some support. I got grants and scholarships. I was flying high because I’d achieved one of my most important goals—after all of the worry and the hard work.”
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