First Lady Michelle Obama inspires young female activists at the Girl Up Leadership Summit -July 20 , 2015
By Nehal Jain
On July 14 , First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at the Girl Up Leadership Summit . There was a line through the lobby and down the stairs as participants and chaperones eagerly tried to get seats in the hall , and the energy in the room was at an all-time high . The room was packed with 225 girls all rapt with attention as the First Lady talked about one of Girl Up ’ s five main pillars – education .
The most captivating part of her speech was when the First Lady put all of us in the shoes of the 62 million girls who can ’ t go to school .
“ Think about what it would be like to see your brothers going off to school every day while you were stuck at home ,” she said .
It struck me how different my life would have been had I been born somewhere else in the world . As the younger sister of two brothers , I would most likely already have a husband and kids . And I ’ m only 15 years old ! The money from my marriage might have been spent to keep my brothers in school for a few more years while I stayed at home . I wouldn ’ t be educated and I wouldn ’ t have a voice .
COMMUNITY & LEADERS
In her speech , Mrs . Obama emphasized that “ an education doesn ’ t just transform a girl ’ s life , it transforms their communities , too .” This statement resonated deeply with me . Statistics show that girls reinvest 90 percent of their income into their family and communities , compared to only 30-40 percent for boys . This is why educating girls is so important : When a girl is educated , she is more likely to educate her children , and her children will be more likely to educate their children , leading to a more educated society . Adolescent girls are the future of their countries and their voices can move mountains if we let them speak . “ You all are here today because someone believed in you , because someone gave you the chance to be everything you would want to be ,”
The First Lady told us . She ’ s right . Now it ’ s our job to be there for the 62 million girls who don ’ t have anyone who believes in them .
The first step toward educating these girls is to have faith in them and give them the opportunity to go to school . Once they have that chance , they truly can change the world .
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PHENOMENAL OPTIMISTIC UNIQUE TALENTED