my first trip my first foreign trip as a first lady can you believe that
to say that i am glad this is my first official visit the special relationship between the united states and the u k is based
not only on the relationship between governments but the common language and the values that we share and i'm reminded of that by watching you all today
during my visit i've been especially honored to meet some of britain 's most extraordinary women women who are paving the way for all of you and i'm honored to meet you
the future leaders of great britain and this world
and although the circumstances of our lives may seem very distant with me standing here as the first lady of the united states of america and you just getting through school
i want you to know that we have very much in common for nothing in my life 's path
would have predicted that i'd be standing here as the first african american first lady of the united states of america
there is nothing in my story
that would land me here i wasn't raised with wealth or resources or any social standing to speak of
i was raised on the south side of chicago that's the real part of chicago
and i was the product of a working class community
my father was a city worker all of his life and my mother was a stay at home mom and she stayed at home to take care of me and my older brother
neither of them attended university my dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the prime of his life
but even as it got harder for him to walk and get dressed in the morning i saw him struggle more and more my father never complained about his struggle
he was grateful for what he had he just woke up a little earlier and worked a little harder and my brother and i were raised with all that you really need
love strong values and a belief that with a good education and a whole lot of hard work that there was nothing that we could not do
i am an example of what's possible
when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by the people around them
i was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life grandmothers teachers aunts cousins neighbors who taught me about quiet strength and dignity
and my mother the most important role model in my life who lives with us at the white house and helps to care for our two little daughters malia and sasha
she's an active presence in their lives as well as mine and is instilling in them the same values that she taught me and my brother things like compassion
i was also fortunate enough to be cherished and encouraged by some strong male role models as well
my father my brother uncles and grandfathers the men in my life taught me some important things as well
they taught me about what a respectfulrelationship should look like between men and women
they taught me about what a strong marriage feels like that it's built on faith and commitment and an admiration for each other 's unique gifts
they taught me about what it means to be a father and to raise a family and not only to invest in your own home but to reach out and help
raise kids in the broader community and these were the same qualities that i looked for in my own husband barack obama
and when we first met one of the things that i remember is that he took me out on a date and his date was to go with him to a community meeting
i know
but when we met barack was a community organizer he worked
as he talked to the residents in that community center he talked about two concepts he talked about the world as it is and the world as it should be
and i talked about this throughout the entire campaign what he said that all too often is that we accept
the distance between those two ideas and sometimes we settle for the world as it is even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations
but barack reminded us on that day all of us in that room that we all know what our world should look like
we know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like we all know
and he urged the people in that meeting in that community to devote themselves to closing the gap between those two ideas to work together to try to make the world as it is and the world as it should be
one and the same and i think about that today because i am reminded and convinced that all of you in this school
are very important parts of closing that gap you are the women who will build the world as it should be
you're going to write the next chapter in history not just for yourselves but for your generation and generations to come
and that's why getting a good education is so important
that's why all of this that you're going through
the ups and the downs the teachers that you love and the teachers that you don't why it's so important
because communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women
the difference between a struggling family and a healthy one is often the presence of an empowered woman or women at the center of that family
the difference between a broken community and a thriving one is often the healthy respect between men and women who appreciate the contributions each other makes to society
the difference between a languishing nation and one that will flourish is the recognition that we need equal access to education for both boys and girls
and this school named after the u k s first female doctor and the surrounding buildings named for mexican artist
frida kahlo mary seacole the jamaican nurse known as the black florence nightingale
the english author emily bronte honor women who fought sexism racism and ignorance to pursue
their passions to feed their own souls they allowed for no obstacles as the sign said back there without limitations
they knew no other way to live than to follow their dreams
and having done so
these women
moved many obstacles
and they opened many new doors for millions of female doctors and nurses and artists and authors all of whom have followed them
and by getting a good education
if you want to know the reason why i'm standing here it's because of education i never cut class
sorry i don't know if anybody
i never did it i loved getting a 's i liked being smart i liked being on time i liked getting my work done
i thought being smart was cooler than anything in the world and you too with these same values can control your own destiny you too can pave the way
you too can realize your dreams and then your job is to reach back
do the same thing history proves that it doesn't matter whether you come from a council estate or a country estate your success will be determined by your own fortitude
your own confidence your own individual hard work that is true that is the reality of the world that we live in you now have control over your own destiny and it won 't be easy that's for sure
but you have everything you need everything you need to succeed you already have right here my husband works
in this big office they call it the oval office in the white house there's the desk that he sits at it's called the resolute desk
it was built by the timber of her majesty 's ship resolute and given by queen victoria it's an enduringsymbol of the friendship between our two nations
and its name resolute is a reminder of the strength of character that's required not only to lead a country but to live a life of purpose as well
and i hope in pursuing your dreams you all remain resolute that you go forward without limits and that you use your talents because there are many we've seen them it's there
that you use them to create the world as it should be because we are counting on you we are counting on every single one of you to be the very best that you can be
because the world is big and it's full of challenges and we need strong smart confident young women
to stand up and take the reins we know you can do it we love you thank you so much
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