FLOTUS Does ATL: Michelle Obama's Education and Voting Pep Talk

Obama pushes college and midterm elections.

'Tis the Season - First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to Atlanta on Sept. 8 to rally high school students to aim high with their educational goals and drive Georgia voters to the polls. The trip included an event at the Booker T. Washington High School and a stop on the campaign trail to stump for U.S. Senate candidate Michelle Nunn. Here's some of what she had to say. — Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick) (Photo: Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT)

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'Tis the Season - First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to Atlanta on Sept. 8 to rally high school students to aim high with their educational goals and drive Georgia voters to the polls. The trip included an event at the Booker T. Washington High School and a stop on the campaign trail to stump for U.S. Senate candidate Michelle Nunn. Here's some of what she had to say. — Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick) (Photo: Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT)

Photo By Photo: Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT

You've Only Just Begun - "You have to understand that completing high school is not the end but the beginning of your life’s journey. It’s just the beginning. In today’s world, in order to compete in an ever-globalizing economy, you’ve got to continue your education after you graduate from high school. And fortunately, there are many paths that you can take — whether that’s a professional training program, a four-year school like Georgia State or Emory or Clark Atlanta, or a community college like Atlanta Metro State College," the first lady said. (Photo: Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT/Landov)

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You've Only Just Begun - "You have to understand that completing high school is not the end but the beginning of your life’s journey. It’s just the beginning. In today’s world, in order to compete in an ever-globalizing economy, you’ve got to continue your education after you graduate from high school. And fortunately, there are many paths that you can take — whether that’s a professional training program, a four-year school like Georgia State or Emory or Clark Atlanta, or a community college like Atlanta Metro State College," the first lady said. (Photo: Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT/Landov)

Keep Pushing - "But no matter where you go, the important thing is that you go somewhere. Because no matter who you are or where you come from, higher education is absolutely the best way you can take charge of your future," she added. (Photo: David Goldman/AP Photo)

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Keep Pushing - "But no matter where you go, the important thing is that you go somewhere. Because no matter who you are or where you come from, higher education is absolutely the best way you can take charge of your future," she added. (Photo: David Goldman/AP Photo)

Picking Yourself Up - The first lady noted that many students today often face many challenges, from a struggling family life to life in a dangerous neighborhood or just old-fashioned insecurities."So how do you rally from something like that? How do you pick yourself up when you feel like somebody keeps knocking you down over and over and over again? You can start by listening to the words of the man this school is named after," she said. (Photo: David Tulis /UPI/LANDOV)

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Picking Yourself Up - The first lady noted that many students today often face many challenges, from a struggling family life to life in a dangerous neighborhood or just old-fashioned insecurities."So how do you rally from something like that? How do you pick yourself up when you feel like somebody keeps knocking you down over and over and over again? You can start by listening to the words of the man this school is named after," she said. (Photo: David Tulis /UPI/LANDOV)

You've Got to Have Grit - "Booker T. Washington once said, 'Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.' In other words, you have got to have something called grit. It’s a kind of fierce determination that means you won’t stop at anything, you won’t let anything get in your way until you reach your goal. That’s grit." (Photo: David Tulis/UPI/Landov)

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You've Got to Have Grit - "Booker T. Washington once said, 'Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.' In other words, you have got to have something called grit. It’s a kind of fierce determination that means you won’t stop at anything, you won’t let anything get in your way until you reach your goal. That’s grit." (Photo: David Tulis/UPI/Landov)

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The American Dream - "We deserve leaders who believe like we do that no matter how our kids start out in life, if they’re willing to work for it, they should have every opportunity to fulfill every last bit of their boundless promise," the first lady said at a campaign event for U.S. Senate candidate Michelle Nunn. "They should have every opportunity to get a good education and build a decent life for themselves and an even better life for their own kids. That’s what we believe. That’s the American Dream we all believe." (Photo: David Goldman/AP Photo)

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The American Dream - "We deserve leaders who believe like we do that no matter how our kids start out in life, if they’re willing to work for it, they should have every opportunity to fulfill every last bit of their boundless promise," the first lady said at a campaign event for U.S. Senate candidate Michelle Nunn. "They should have every opportunity to get a good education and build a decent life for themselves and an even better life for their own kids. That’s what we believe. That’s the American Dream we all believe." (Photo: David Goldman/AP Photo)

High Stakes - "The stakes this year couldn’t be higher. Because if we don’t show up at the polls this November, if we don’t elect leaders in Congress and here in Georgia who will put people first instead of just fighting for special interests, then we know exactly what will happen. We will see more folks interfering in women’s private decisions about our health care. We’ll see more folks denying that climate change even exists. We’ll see more votes against equal pay and immigration reform and raising the minimum wage for hardworking folks." (Photo: David Goldman/AP Photo)

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High Stakes - "The stakes this year couldn’t be higher. Because if we don’t show up at the polls this November, if we don’t elect leaders in Congress and here in Georgia who will put people first instead of just fighting for special interests, then we know exactly what will happen. We will see more folks interfering in women’s private decisions about our health care. We’ll see more folks denying that climate change even exists. We’ll see more votes against equal pay and immigration reform and raising the minimum wage for hardworking folks." (Photo: David Goldman/AP Photo)

Counting on You - "If you care about what is happening in your communities, if you care about the safety of our young men and women on the streets, if you care about justice and equality, then you need to get registered, and then you need to vote. And then you need to get everyone you know — everyone you know — to vote, too — everyone you know," the first lady said. "Bring folks from your family, neighborhood, the church. Don’t leave anyone behind. That’s how we did it before." (Photo: David Goldman/AP Photo)

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Counting on You - "If you care about what is happening in your communities, if you care about the safety of our young men and women on the streets, if you care about justice and equality, then you need to get registered, and then you need to vote. And then you need to get everyone you know — everyone you know — to vote, too — everyone you know," the first lady said. "Bring folks from your family, neighborhood, the church. Don’t leave anyone behind. That’s how we did it before." (Photo: David Goldman/AP Photo)

Hope and Change - "Today when folks ask me whether I still believe everything we said about hope and change back in 2008, look, I tell them that I believe it more strongly than ever before because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve seen it. I’m out there," Obama said. I’ve seen veterans finding jobs as our nation proudly supports their transition to civilian life. I’ve seen children getting better nutrition, growing up healthier — our babies. I’ve seen our young people from the most underserved areas reaching higher and going to college, and then reaching back to serve their own communities. I’ve seen it." (Photo: David Goldman)

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Hope and Change - "Today when folks ask me whether I still believe everything we said about hope and change back in 2008, look, I tell them that I believe it more strongly than ever before because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve seen it. I’m out there," Obama said. I’ve seen veterans finding jobs as our nation proudly supports their transition to civilian life. I’ve seen children getting better nutrition, growing up healthier — our babies. I’ve seen our young people from the most underserved areas reaching higher and going to college, and then reaching back to serve their own communities. I’ve seen it." (Photo: David Goldman)