Michelle was born on 17 January, 1964 in Chicago Illinois. Her mother Marian was a former secretary, and her father Fraser Robinson, worked at a city water plant. Michelle Obama was raised in a conventional home, along with her brother Craig, who is 16 months older. Craig is also a success story, with a history in mens basketball – he is currently Oregon State Beavers mens basketball coach. Michelles father had high morals and levels of expectations, which she has carried with her to date.
While better known as the wife of Republican Candidate Senator Barack Obama, Michelle is her own success story. She appeared on a list of “25 of the World’s Most Inspiring Women” published by Essence magazine, which she followed up in 2007 with Vanity Fair magazine nominating her as one of the “World’s Ten Best Dressed People.”
Again in 2007, she entered “The Harvard 100″ – ranking 58th on a list of the prior year’s most influential Harvard alumni, with her husband Barack ranked fourth. She also keeps good company, having made two campaign appearances with Oprah Winfrey (at the time of writing this).
After attending Whitney M Young Magnet High School in Chicago Michelle Obama went to Princeton University, graduating in 1985 with a B.A. in Sociology, plus a minor in African American studies. Moving on from Princeton, she continued her education at Harvard Law School, graduating with a law degree in 1988. After law school, Michelle spent three years as an Associate in the field of marketing and intellectual property for the Chicago law firm, Sidley and Austin. There she was assigned to work with the only other African American, a summer associate from Harvard, Barack Obama.
In 1991 Michelle left the corporate law world to pursue a new career working in the public service. She started as an Assistant to the Mayor of Chicago, and then becoming the Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development for the City of Chicago. Michelle followed this in 1996 with a spell as the Associate Dean of Student Services for the University of Chicago, where she developed the University’s first Community Service Program.
2002 saw Michelle working for the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as Executive Director for Community Affairs, then as Vice President for Community and External Affairs. She currently works this position part-time, to enable her to have more family time.
In 1992 Michelle married Barack Obama and they now have two daughters. Malia Obama was born after seven years of marriage in 1999, and Natasha Obama was born in 2001. In 1993, Michelle Obama became Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a not-for-profit organization that helps young adults develop skills for careers in the public sector.
During May 2007, three months after her husband declared his Presidential Candidacy, Michelle reduced her professional responsibilities by eighty percent. She has accepted the role of aspiring First Lady, and travels the country alongside Barack Obama, giving speeches and attending events. She makes sure she is not away from her daughters for too long. Michelle has been described as focused, tough, steely, and has a sharp sense of humor.
Past the point of no return, life for both Barack and Michelle Obama has now changed for ever. They will always be in the sights of blatant and shameful propagandists who, for example, paint good Christians as Muslims, and who show little regard for truth or family privacy. Secret Service protection is now a way of life, with Michelle having her own dedicated team, as they face the fears of extremist action.
Michelle likes to keep things calm, keeping Barack Obama focused, with his feet firmly planted on the ground; she displays a determined passion for his campaign. Michelle Obama compliments her husband well; she is naturally competitive, intelligent, does not take things for granted and has a direct, practical approach toward politics.
