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

Obama pushes college and midterm elections.

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)
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)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)

Next Gallery

12 Powerful Quotes from Black Women Athletes to Inspire Greatness

12 Photos

5 / 9

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)

ADVERTISEMENT