First lady Michelle Obama graces the cover of Essence magazine’s August issue. In the mag, she discusses her advocacy for higher learning and explains how success in school really starts at home.
“I know I tell my kids all the time that they shouldn’t shy away from difficult things, because that is the point at which you are really growing. It’s not just about grades or test scores. Today our kids may shy away from applying to college if they think they don’t have the right grade or test score. But the truth is that the kids who succeed and go on to be successful professionals are the ones who know how to work hard,” says Mrs. Obama.
And in order to even get that far, she says, they have to see education as an opportunity and take advantage of that kind of foundation.
“We cannot waste the opportunity that we have here in America, especially as African-Americans. Our ancestors fought and bled and died so that we could go to school,” she says. “And I still think about that.”
It’s a message she’s drilled into her daughters. “We talk about responsibility and accountability, about making sure that they’re not wasting the opportunities they’re given. We make sure they know how lucky they are and that, because of that, they have an obligation to have their acts together and to take their education very seriously.”
Find out what else Michelle Obama has to say when the August issue of Essence hits stores on Friday, July 4. –joi pearson @joiapearson
