First Lady visits

Talks about mentoring, takes questions from students

Peter Marcus, DDN Staff Writer

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

First lady Michelle Obama speaks at a Girls Mentoring Luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion in Denver yesterday. Reuters photo.

Speaking to students in Denver yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama said it is never too late or too early to become a mentor.

Focusing on young women, the White House initiative brought national and local women leaders to Denver for the first of a series of events aimed at promoting mentoring programs. The First Lady and other women leaders Ń such as actress Susan Sarandon and Reps. Diana DeGette and Betsy Markey Ń toured local schools where these powerful women shared their stories, discussed their careers and answered student questions.

“That’s the only thing we’re going to ask you, is that you take this experience and spread it to so many young girls who don’t have the opportunity to be here, but they’re looking and they’re listening and they’re wondering what happened. Share with them,” Obama said at a luncheon at the Governor’s mansion to kick off the event.

Later in the day, Obama’s motorcade whisked her to South High School where she spoke to about 30 students who were chosen to have a special, private question-and-answer session with the First Lady based on their leadership skills. The intimate meeting Ń minus the mob of news crews Ń was held in the school’s library.

Questions ran the gamut, including, “What are some good attributes of a good mentor?” Another asked, “What is one of the most difficult things of being First Lady?”

Linda Jimenez, a senior and student body president, asked Obama what she thought of standardized testing. In a school where many students are English-learners, Jimenez said standardized tests can be a difficult obstacle to overcome.

“Our school is very diverse and many students do not speak English, although versed in two different languages, and they are forced to take this step,” said the student. “And our school gets funding on how well students do on the test. And of course, because they do not speak English they cannot understand the test and they do not do well.”

Obama skirted the issue, arguing that she didn’t want to be “commenting,” because the “standardized tests are there,” but she told the group of eager students that they shouldn’t let something like a test score define them.

“My message to each of you is you’ve got to prepare for the tests, take them seriously because they are part of the measures, they’re part of the system,” she said. “But don’t let these tests defeat you. Don’t let them define you. Move through them.”

Reporters were only allowed to stay for a portion of the questions asked before being asked to leave, despite the fact that the majority of the schools that participated in the event yesterday are public schools.

Obama also did not take questions from the media.

She said earlier at the luncheon that success doesn’t just magically happen.

“The truth is the ladies who are mentors here that you see today, they didn’t come here or get to this stage because of some magic,” Obama said. “I want (young people) to look at me not as the First Lady of the United States of America, but I want you to first see me as Michelle Obama, the girl from the South Side of Chicago, who went to public schools, whose parents were working-class folks. There is no magic to being here. There’s no secret to success. And I think every single woman in this room would tell you that.”

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