Michelle Obama，First Lady of USA
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School，April 3rd，2009
We need strong，smart，confident young women to stand up and take the reins.我们需要坚强、聪明、自信的年轻女性站出来执掌乾坤。
Michelle Obama
背景故事
米歇尔·奥巴马在伦敦一所女校发表讲话，充满热情地以自身经历敦促每个学生认真对待教育。她说这些有才质的一代新人将会缩小现实世界与理想世界的差距。
该演讲是米歇尔在20国集团峰会期间，与来自伊丽莎白·加勒特·安德森女校的学生见面时所发表的，而这正是她作为美国第一夫人的第一次外事访问。在这所学校学习的1000名女孩大都在11～17岁之间，三分之二的学生不是以英语为母语的，有多达90%的学生是少数族裔。在结束对她们的演讲之后，她与台上的24名女孩逐一拥抱。
演讲中，米歇尔讲述了自己的生活经历，来鼓励年轻的女孩们。
名人简介
米歇尔·拉沃恩·奥巴马，出生于1964年1月17日，是美国总统贝拉克·奥巴马二世的妻子，随着奥巴马当选第44任美国总统，米歇尔亦随即成为第一位非洲裔美国籍总统夫人，以及个子最高的第一夫人。
她本人也是一名律师，出生及成长于芝加哥南部，曾就读普林斯顿大学及哈佛大学法学院。完成学业后，她重返芝加哥为全美第六大律师行悉尼·奥斯汀律师事务所服务，还曾是芝加哥市长戴利的直属雇员，也曾为芝加哥大学及芝加哥大学医学中心服务。米歇尔早于1980年代末期已结识及同在悉尼·奥斯汀律师事务所工作的奥巴马，并于1992年结婚。她用女性独有的温柔与优雅感染、鼓励着周边人，这与丈夫严肃的工作构成了巧妙的平衡。
演讲赏析
Because of Education
Michelle Obama，First Lady of USA
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School，April 3rd，2009
This is my first trip.My first foreign trip as a first lady.Can you believe that？（Applause）And while this is not my first visit to the U.K.，I have 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，and integrity，and confidence，and perseverance.All of that wrapped up in an unconditional love that only a grandmother can give.
I was also fortunate enough to be cherished and encouraged by some strong male role models as well，including 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 respectful relationship 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.（Laughter）I know，how romantic.（Laughter）But when we met，Barack was a community organizer.He worked，helping people to find jobs and to try to bring resources into struggling neighborhoods.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.