While Michelle Obama is widely known as the first African American First Lady of the United States, she is also a lawyer, writer, and has over the years become a role model for many women around the world.
Born in 1964, she studied sociology and African American studies at Princeton University in New Jersey before graduating from Harvard Law School in 1988.
She then joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin as a junior associate, specializing in marketing and intellectual property law. While there, she met her future husband Barack Obama.
A few years later, she decided that her true calling was more public service-oriented, and left in 1991. She became an assistant commissioner of planning and development in Chicago's City Hall before taking over the role of founding executive director of the Chicago branch of Public Allies, a leadership-training program for young adults that prepares them for public service.
In 1996, she joined the University of Chicago as the associate dean of student services, developing the first community-service program, and later became its executive director of community and external affairs. Obama was then made vice president of community and external affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center.
When her husband announced his candidacy in 2007, she devoted herself to campaigning, trying to find a balance between the demands of this prominent new role and child-rearing obligations.
As First Lady, she continued her efforts, amongst others, to support military families and advocate for healthy families and higher education. She has also been credited with her ability to inspire and connect to younger generations, notably through the use of social media.
As her husband’s second term came to an end, she kept a relatively-low public profile. However, she continued to pursue her support and dedication to causes close to her heart. She also released an autobiography titled “Becoming” and began hosting “The Michelle Obama Podcast.”
As a mother and the first African American First Lady, but also as a committed advocate and fashion icon, she has without doubt influenced many Americans.
“I am an example of what is possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by people around them. I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life who taught me about quiet strength and dignity,” she once said.