Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and graduated from Harvard Law School before returning to Chicago in 1988 to join the Sidley Austin law firm, where she met Barack Obama.

Michelle and Barack wed in 1992 and welcomed daughters Malia and Sasha in 1998 and 2001, respectively. Michelle worked for Chicago City Hall, the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago Medical Center before Barack announced his candidacy for President of the United States in 2007. The Obamas remain the only African-American first family to serve in the White House.

As first lady, Michelle advocated for healthier families, higher education, service members and their families, poverty awareness and international girls education during her husband’s two terms from 2009 to 2017. Her bestselling memoirs, Becoming and The Light We Carry, were released in 2018 and 2022, respectively, alongside corresponding Netflix documentaries. Michelle launched her own podcast in 2020 and works to uplift diverse voices in entertainment through Higher Ground Productions, which she launched with Barack in 2018.