WASHINGTON – Former First Lady Michelle Obama was the highlight of the Reach Higher Initiative program at its fifth annual Beating the Odds Summit, a one-day workshop for incoming first-generation college freshmen held at Howard University’s School of Business.
“Let me just say, I am proud of you all,” Obama told the 50-plus students attending the Tuesday event, which she created while in the White House.
“I just want to start by saying this is a passion for me because as I’ve always said, I see myself in you all,” she said. “I was where you all were. I won’t even count the years, but it’s been a while before I started college, coming from a working-class background where you start out your whole life with people telling you what you can’t do. Starting to put those little doubts in your mind about whether you are worthy or capable.”
Obama, who also was a first-generation college student, was joined by Philadelphia Eagles player Malcolm Jenkins, Reach Higher alumni Rachel Scott and Ariel Ventura-Lazo, and Wes Moore — a best-selling author and CEO of the anti-poverty nonprofit Robin Hood — for a panel discussion.
A number of student issues in college were discussed, including the need for a balanced life and the importance of one’s mental health.
Obama said that managing mental health is one of the pegs of success, and she stressed the important role of exercise and healthy eating.
“Having a bad diet can lead you to feeling depressed in ways that you don’t even know,” she said. “You got to think about having a balanced diet, you got to have some vegetables. I don’t want to be the mother in here, but you really do. You can’t just eat carbs for four years. You’ll start feeling that and wondering why you are sluggish. We don’t talk about this enough with young people.”
