Quick Facts about Michelle Obama | cnn



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Here’s a look at the life of Michelle Obama, wife of the 44th US president, Barack Obama.

Birthdate: January 17, 1964

Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois

Birth name: Michelle Lavaughn Robinson

Father: Fraser Robinson, water filtration worker

Mother: Marian (shields) Robinson

Marriage: Barack Obama (October 3, 1992-present)

Children: Sasha, Malia

Education: Princeton University, B.A., 1985; Harvard University, Doctor of Laws, 1988

Religion: Christian

Graduated magna cum laude with a degree in sociology from Princeton.

She met Barack Obama when she was assigned to mentor him at Sidley & Austin, a Chicago law firm.

His father suffered and eventually died from multiple sclerosis.

He has won a Grammy Award.

Nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

1988-1991 – Associate attorney at Sidley & Austin in Chicago.

1991-1992 Assistant to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

1992-1993 Deputy Commissioner of Planning and Development.

1993-1996Founding CEO of Public Allies Chicago.

1996-2002 – Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago and Director of the University Community Services Center.

2002-2005 Executive Director of Community Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

2005-2007 – Member of the board of directors of Tree House Foods, food supplier to Walmart stores.

2005-January 2009 – Vice President of Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

January 20, 2009 She becomes the first lady of the United States.

April 2009 – “Michelle Obama: In Her Own Words” is published.

February 2009She appears on the March cover of Vogue magazine.

February 9, 2010 – Launch the national campaign “Let’s Move!” to reduce childhood obesity.

April 2011 – Launches national veterans campaign, “Joining Forces,” with Jill Biden.

June 20, 2011 – Travel to Africa for a week to focus on youth leadership, education, health and well-being.

June 21, 2011 – Visit former South African president Nelson Mandela at his home.

May 29, 2012 “American Grown: The Story of the White House Garden and Gardens Across America” is published.

February 24, 2013 – Presents the Academy Award for Best Picture.

March 13 2013 – Like other high-profile celebrities and politicians, Obama’s financial information is hacked and posted online. His student loan information and credit report are posted.

March 14, 2013 – She appears on the cover of the April issue of Vogue. This is the second time she has appeared on the cover.

May 2014 – Launches national “Reach Higher” campaign, a higher education initiative.

March 2015 – Launches the national “Let Girls Learn” campaign, a global focus on girls’ education.

July 2015 – Guest editor of “Más” magazine. Obama is the magazine’s first guest editor, as well as the first lady to guest edit an entire issue of “More.”

November 10, 2016 – Obama hosts future first lady Melania Trump for tea and a tour of the White House residence, press secretary Josh Earnest says at a White House briefing.

November 11, 2016 – She appears on the cover of the December issue of Vogue. This is the third time she has appeared on the cover.

January 13, 2017 – She gives her final remarks at the White House thanking her supporters and saying, “being your first lady has been the greatest honor of my life and I hope I have made you proud.”

September 27, 2017 – She notes that “any woman who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against her own voice” during an appearance at the Inbound 2017 conference in Boston.

May 21, 2018 – Netflix announces that the Obamas have signed a multi-year production deal in which the two will work both in front of and behind the camera.

November 13, 2018 – Obama’s memoir, “Becoming,” is published and reaches #1 on Amazon’s best-seller list.

December 27, 2018 – She is elected the woman most admired by Americans this year, unseating Hillary Clinton from first place for the first time in 17 years, according to the annual Gallup poll.

November 20, 2019 – He is nominated for a Grammy for best spoken word album for the audio version of “Becoming.”

December 30, 2019 – For the second year in a row, a Gallup poll ranks Obama as the woman most admired by Americans.

January 26, 2020 – Wins a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for the audio version of “Becoming.”

July 16, 2020 – Announces that she will launch “The Michelle Obama Podcast” on Spotify.

March 10, 2021 – Obama speaks candidly in an interview with People magazine about his struggle with mild depression during the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges of 2020. “Depression is understandable under these circumstances, during these times,” he said in the interview . “To think that we can somehow continue to get through all the shock, trauma and turmoil we’ve been experiencing without feeling it that way is just unrealistic.”

June 21, 2022 – Audible, Amazon’s audiobook and podcast service, announces that Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, has signed an exclusive multi-year preliminary production deal with Audible.

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