Michelle Obama shares an inspiring message to students on College's first Day
Former first lady Michelle Obama celebrated National Signing Day with thousands of students at University of California, Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The day marked her sixth College Signing Day celebration with Reach
Higher, the organization she started during her time at the White House in 2014
to encourage students to pursue education beyond high school.
Other stars honoring the students choosing to continue their studies at a four-year college or university, a community college, in the military or in a professional training program, included John Legend, La La Anthony, Bebe Rexha, Adam Rippon, Lil Rel Howery and Usher among others.
During the former first lady's address, the first-generation college graduate, who earned degrees from Princeton University and Harvard Law School, commended the young men and women for making strides to continue their education. "You are about to make the best investment that you can possibly make," she told the students in the crowd.
If you've been "counted out before," keep going and fight for what you deserve
"That's true whether you're going to a trade school, or to the military or to a community college or to a four-year university," she continued.
During her speech, Obama also gave some advice to the future trailblazers.
Mrs. Obama explained that she knows that a lot of students in the crowd have been "counted out before."
"Maybe your parents didn’t get to go to college," she said. "Maybe you were like me and someone told you that you that you weren't college material. Or that maybe you were setting your sights too high."
She said she could relate to facing those factors.
"When I was in high school and I wanted to apply to the college of my choice I had someone tell me that I shouldn’t reach too high," she said. "They told me that I wanted too much for myself -- I should dream a little smaller, and let me tell you that will happen to you again and again and again."
"There will be people in your life that will tell you not to dream too big because they are haters, and they don’t want anymore for you than they think that you should deserve," she continued.
Anybody who's achieved anything has failed and failed again...it's the ability to bounce back from that failure. That's what makes you a true champion.
After that She pleaded with the students in the crowd to believe in themselves when they are faced with situations like that.
"In those moments, because they will happen -- they've happened to me, they've happened to my husband, where people said you don't belong, this isn't for you -- in those times... you have to ask yourselves whether you're going to believe the haters or whether you're going to believe the own truth of your story."
