Overview of Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama as a leader: Michelle Obama may not lead The United States of America, as does her husband Barack, our 44th President. However, she is a leader in her own way.

Michelle Robinson was born on January 17, 1964. Her family, growing up, consisted of her mother, father and older brother Craig. Craig and Michelle grew up in Chicago. After completing High School at a magnet school, she attended Princeton University. She continued her education at Harvard Law School and is the third First Lady to have a Postgraduate Degree.

Michelle continued her profession and met President Obama at a law firm, where she became his mentor. They were married and had two daughters. During President Obama’s campaign Michele demonstrated being a leader to their family by setting a schedule that would accommodate being supportive to her husband and be a present mom to their daughters. Now, being in the White House, Michelle has advocated and gained support for many great causes. For example, on February 9, 2010 a Task Force was established, through her initiation, to help solve the problem of childhood obesity. She began the “Let’s Move” campaign to help the cause.

I chose Michelle because I have learned many things that we have in common and some things that I hope to aspire to. Michelle’s ambition for furthering her education is something I admire in a leader. Her father was a plant employee and her mother was a secretary as were my parents. I was the first in my family to complete a four-year college and continue on for two Master’s Degrees. I also chose Michelle because of her role and values within her family and her relationship with her husband and daughters. Despite her work outside of the home, Michelle has a balance of work and family. When asked her main role in life she stated “I am a mom to my two girls” and continues in an interview with Anita Tedaldi (2008) stating “Like the women I've met across the country, I play many different roles. I'm a wife, a working woman, a daughter, a sister, and a best friend. But most importantly, I'm a mom. No matter where I am — at work, on the campaign trail, you name it — my girls are always on my mind.” (p. 1). I also share similar roles of wife, mother, working woman, educator and a graduate student. I am trying to balance all of this as well. During an event as big as a Presidency Campaign Michelle found a way to balance in all of her roles and be the most important role, a mother. Michelle has integrity, persistence, courage and many other traits and characteristics of a leader.



Obama, Barack. (February 2010). Presidential Memorandum – Establishing a Task Force on Childhood Obesity. Retrieved 06:35, February 16, 2010 from The White House website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-establishing-a-task-force-childhood-obesity


Tedaldi, Anita. (August 2008). Michelle Obama On the Campaign, Her Career and Raising Kids In the Public Eye. Retrieved 06:05, February 16, 2010 from http://www.babble.com/Michelle-Obama-on-the-campaign-her-career-and-raising-kids-in-the-public-eye/


Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:30, February 16, 2010, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama