Michelle Obama Celebrated Signing Day With New College Students
Forever First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated college choices with high school seniors, whose school years were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She participated in a virtual, star-studded event on Saturday (May1).
In a nod to one of Georgia's celebrated Historically Black Colleges, Obama, 57, sported a Clark Atlanta University T-shirt under a denim jacket, according to PEOPLE. Amanda Gorman, Stephen Curry and his wife Ayesha Curry, The Weeknd, and more participated in the event, part of the Better Make Room, a campaign within Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative, the report notes.
"Happy #CollegeSigningDay!" she wrote in a tweet posted Saturday. "I'm so excited to celebrate all of you who are taking this next step on your journeys and pursuing higher education. Whether you're going to a community college, trade school, university or joining the military, I could not be more proud of you!"
Obama called the celebration one of her “favorite events of the year” and welcomed viewers to signing day by saying, "This is the one day when we set aside everything else to celebrate what matters most: you," the report notes.
"We've got even more reason to celebrate this year, after everything you all have gone through,” Obama said. “And I know it hasn't always been easy to be away from your friends, or juggle back and forth between in-person, hybrid and virtual learning. Or logging in to class after class from your kitchen table or maybe even the parking lot, with better Wi-Fi than you have at home."
She added: "And all of that is on top of everything else you've been dealing with this year: the issues of discrimination and hate and inequity, the tragedies that make us question how the world truly sees us and whether or not we can ever truly be more than our skin color."
Obama created the Reach Higher Initiative during her time as first lady. The initiative encourages students to complete their education beyond high school, whether it’s through professional training programs, community college or four-year college or university, PEOPLE notes.
She ended by encouraging graduates to share photos and TikToks on social media with the tag @BetterMakeRoom and using the hashtags #bettermakeroom and #collegesigningday.
"Hope you have a great college signing day, everybody," she said." I love you all so much."
Watch the virtual ceremony below:
