“Stay hungry.” That’s what the First Lady of the United States told the graduating class of a Chicago High School. The first Lady attended the graduation and delivered the speech after the school won a contest promoting financial aid awareness. During her speech she paid tribute to an honor student who was killed after school in 2013. Watch the First Lady’s speech after the jump.
This graduation was especially important to the FLOTUS because she grew up close to the school and could relate to the graduating class. The encouraged them to show the world what the southside of Chicago is actually made of and even shared a few of her worries when she first attended Princeton and told them how she managed to overcome her fears.
She said,
“I’m here tonight because I want people across this country to know that story –- the real story of the South Side,” she said. “The story of that quiet majority of good folks—families like mine and young people like all of you who face real challenges but make good choices every single day. I’m here tonight because I want you all to know, graduates, that with your roots in this community and your education from this school, you have everything—you hear me, everything—you need to succeed.”
During her speech she also honored Hadiya Pendleton an honor student from the school who was fatally shot after school in 2013. The 15-year-old marched in President Obama’s inaugural parade and The First Lady spoke at her funeral. During the graduation address Obama said,
If Hadiya’s friends and family could survive their heartbreak and pain, if they could found organizations to honor her unfulfilled dreams, if they could inspire folks across this country to wear orange to protest gun violence, then I know you all can live your life with the same determination and joy that Hadiya lived her life,” she added, “I know you all can dig deep and keep on fighting to fulfill your own dreams.”
The school honored Pendleton by leaving an empty seat for her covered with flowers and also gave her family a cap, gown and class ring to keep her memory alive.
Check out the full speech by the First Lady below.
Source Global Grind
