When the Obamas were In the White House, Americans watched their kids grow up before their very eyes. They went from being children to young adults in the 8 years that their father served as the President of the United States. And the mother, it’s Michelle Obama
Malia and Sasha haven’t expressed much desire to be in the spotlight outside of their public duties. They’ve generally kept to themselves and tried their best to live relatively private lives.
So when the sisters spoke out in May of 2020 and dropped some astounding revelations of what their mother Michelle was really like behind closed doors, the world listened.
Stick around to see how the Obamas reacted when Sasha went off to college – it’s always hard to say goodbye to your child when they leave the nest.
A Woman Of Mystery
There is no denying that Michelle Obama is one of the most well-known women in the world but intimate glimpses into her personal life have still been scarce. We do know that she came from humble beginnings and that her ambition to find her way in life has been one of the most relatable aspects of her public persona.
When she published her autobiography, Becoming, in 2018, many women latched on to her intriguing life story.
Wanting A Normal Life For Her Daughters
Despite her fame and high profile positioning, she has always wanted to make sure that her daughters had a relatively normal upbringing. When her husband was President, she did her best to ensure that they still could have a childhood untainted by the limelight.
She told O, Oprah’s Magazine, a few years back that she and her husband brought up Malia and Sasha in such a way so as to pretend that all the craziness around them wasn’t happening. But how did her daughters really feel about their private lives?
When their father was in office, the public rarely got to see Sasha and Malia while out in public. After all, they are only seven and ten at the time when their dad swears in as president. So while the family lived at the White House, public sightings of the young girls were rare – except for the occasional holiday photo, official portrait, or vacation pic.
Education And The Pursuit Of A Normal Life
Now that Sasha and Malia are all grown up, the two young women have come into their own identities despite their unconventional childhood upbringing. When they make the strikingly rare decision to interview earlier in 2020 as part of promotional material for the Netflix documentary of Michelle’s Becoming Autobiography, it served as the perfect opportunity for the two to reveal a little bit more about their world-famous mother.
While their father engrosses in carrying out the responsibilities one of the most stressful jobs on the planet, Malia and Sasha take to their studies. Michelle always prioritized their education as being one of the most important things in their lives. The two girls ith his farewell speech, Sasha wasn’t able to attend because she was busy studying for an exam thhave seemingly embraced this attitude as well. For example, when Barack addressed the nation in 2017 wat she had the following day.
Both girls have expressed immense gratitude for their parents’ support throughout their school years. They pushed them to succeed but never shamed them for their failures.
Staying In The DC
But back to Sasha. At that time she was still 16 and had 2 years left of high school to finish before she could graduate. The Obamas made sure they would stay in the DC area after Barack left office so that Sasha would not disrupt her last leg of her high school education. Sasha would graduate from Sidwell Friends School in 2019 where both her sister had attended as well as Al Gore’s children and Hillary’s daughter Chelsea Clinton.
After Sasha’s graduation, the Obamas would vacation in the south of France. Once they returned home, they dropped their daughter off at the University of Michigan, where she would continue her education. The former President and First Lady would personally help take her belongings to her new place of residence to ensure that she could live as normal a life as possible.
Saying Goodbye To Sasha Was Heart Wrenching
Dropping her off at college was quite the emotional moment for the Obamas. They didn’t want to embarrass her in front of her roommates, so they refrained from making a big ordeal about it, but when Michelle said her final goodbyes it was difficult, to say the least.
When Sasha drove off on her own after having a farewell lunch with her parents, and after the reality of the situation set in, Michelle recalls that Barack, Malia Obama, and her all started sobbing. Sometimes goodbyes are the hardest thing to do in life.
We really don’t know much about how Sasha settled into college. All of her roommates and fellow students have been very respectful of her personal privacy so far, but we can assume that she has enjoyed a rich and rewarding social life just like she did when she was in High School.
If you’re enjoying this video, make sure you give it a like and subscribe to our channel and keep watching to see what Malia had to say to her mom that made her burst out in tears.
Malia Took A Slightly Different Path Than Her Sister
Sasha went directly from High School to college, but Malia decided she wanted to take a year off before continuing her studies. In 2017 she did some traveling, taking trips to Peru and Bolivia. She also took an internship at an Independent Film company. During this time she even had the opportunity to help out with the production of Steven Spielberg’s TV space drama, Extant.
Halle Berry, the show’s lead, described Malia as being a beautiful, smart, amazing, young woman. Everyone on the set apparently struggled to see her as a production assistant despite the fact that she tried her best. It was hard for the crew to look past the fact that she was an Obama.
During her year off, Malia also attended the Sundance Film Festival while also taking the opportunity to spend some quality time with her family. The Obama’s would take a trip to Bali that year and Sasha and Malia would go to the Chicago music festival Lollapalooza together.
Of course, after she finished up her year of leisure and exploration, she would be admitted to Harvard, where she is currently pursuing her studies.
Malia’s Love Life
Malia began dating Rory Farquharson in 2018. The young man is a fellow law student at Harvard and the two spent a lot of time together during Christmas breaks on two different occasions. One of those breaks included a visit to London where Rory’s parents live. So if you were wondering if the Obama kids are able to live relatively normal social lives without being recognized too much, then the answer is yes.
Michelle’s Formative Years
So back to the Netflix documentary – which producers described as an intimate look at her life, hopes, and connection with others – Michelle reveals that she grew up in the South Side of Chicago. If you’re not familiar with that region, it’s known for being a bit on the rough side. Segregation was a normal part of life when she was young. She didn’t come from a well-to-do family but instead grew up in a lower-income household.
Poverty and racism weren’t the only struggles in the First Lady’s life growing up. She also had to watch her father Fraser Robinson III, slowly succumb to the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis before passing away in 1991.
She struggled too with being a young black student with high hopes and ambitions. Then, she recalls a time that she told her adviser about her dream of following her brother, Craig Robinson, to Princeton.
She was told that she was reaching too high and that she should re-evaluate her ambitions. Can you even imagine that? What if she had listened to that advice?
She didn’t let herself become discouraged for a second, and pressed on in her studies and hard work. She sent in her Princeton application and was rewarded for her passion and drive by being accepted several months later. But of course, Michelle didn’t shove her victory in the counselor’s face. The only person she had something to prove to was herself.
As First Lady, She Endured Abuse And Discrimination
She didn’t see it coming. When her husband began to campaign to be president, she didn’t know how much she too much would be attacked and berated by both the media and the public. She wasn’t naive to the fact that Barack running for president would receive some racist backlash in addition to the typical partisan jabs – but she couldn’t have predicted how this all would play out.
When he won and took the oath of office, she was subjected to almost daily abuse from people hurling racial epithets and even some factions of the media began equating her and Barack as terrorists. All she ever wanted to be a strong symbol of fearlessness and determination. She wanted to be a role model not only for women and people of color but to everyone that has ever been told they weren’t good enough – so to be greeted with such animosity and hate came as a surprise
But of course, she persisted and didn’t let the cruelty of a few get her down. She continued to work hard and fulfill her duties, not just as First Lady, but also as a mother. She put all of her heart into her family life. Even when things seemed crazy. Michelle did her best to ensure that her daughters had a life worth living.
Malia And Sasha Reflect On Their Mother
Malia knew that her mother did her best to shield her and her sister from media scrutiny. She has expressed nothing but gratitude for what her mom did for her and her sister and what she went through during those 8 years.
Sasha says that she is excited for her mom to feel proud of what she has accomplished as First Lady.
In Becoming, Malia walks up to her Mom after she is done with a round of interviews while promoting her book and tells her how much she loves her and how she is so good.
She then proceeds to say “This has demonstrated in a way, [how] those eight years weren’t for nothing, you know?”
She smiles and continues with ” You see that huge crowd out there and that last kind of speech you gave? People are here because people really believe in hope and hope in other people”
Broke Down In Tears
Michelle then broke down in tears. To hear those words of approval from her daughter was all she could ever ask for. All she ever wanted to be was an inspiration – for her kids – and for the world.
Well, that wraps this video. We can safely say that the First Lady succeeded in her life’s mission and has raised some pretty phenomenal kids.
What do you think would be the hardest part about being a member of the First Family? Would it be living at the White House, constantly being followed by security, or would it be the barrage of relentless media scrutiny? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
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