Write a short response to the article, agreeing or disagreeing with some of the points made. What are some questions that the audience may have toward the speech? What is a parallel speech that could be paired with M. Obama’s speech? How do you believe her speech resonated with different groups of people? Two weeks belore the Ohamas are due to leave otice, First Lady Michelle Obama gave ber finapublic speech. She was speaking to a group of high school counselors, and here is an excerptfrom that speechand as I end my time in the White House, I can think of no better message to send ouryoung people in my last official remarks as First Lady. So for all the young people in this roomand those who are watching, know that this country belongs to you -to all of you, from everybackground and walk of life. If you or your parents are immigrants, know that you are part of aproud American tradition - the infusion of new cultures, talents and ideas, generation aftergeneration, that has made us the greatest country on earth.If your family doesn't have much money, I want you to remenmber that in this country,plenty of folks, including me and my husband - we started out with very little. But with a lot ofhard work and a good education, anything is possible - even becoming President. That's whatthe American Dream is all about.If you are a person of faith, know that religious diversity is a great American tradition,too. In fact, that's why people first came to this country-to worship freely. And whether youare Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh – these religions are teaching our young peopleabout justice, and compassion, and honesty. So I want our young pecople to continue to leam andpractice those values with pride. You see, our glorious diversity - our diversities of faiths andcolors and creeds - that is not a threat to who we are, it makes us who we are.So the young people here and the young people out there: Do not ever let anyone makeyou feel like you don't matter, or like you don't have a place in our American story- becauseyou do. And you have a right to be exactly who you are. But I also want to be very clear: Thisright isn't just handed to you. No, this right has to be carned every single day. You cannot takeyour freedoms for granted. Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do yourpart to preserve and protect those freedoms. And that starts right now, when you're youngRight now, you need to be preparing yourself to add your voice to our nationalconversation. You need to prepare yourself to be informed and engaged as a citizen, to serve andto lead, to stand up for our proud American values and to honor them in your daily lives. Andthat means getting the best education possible so you can think critically, so you can expressyourself clearly, so you can get a good job and support yourself and your family, so you can be apositive force in your communities.And when you encounter obstacles- because I guarantee you, you will, and many ofyou already have - when you are struggling and you start thinking about giving up, I want youto remember something that my husband and I have talked about since we first started thisjourney nearly a decade ago, something that has carried us through every moment in this WhiteHouse and every moment of our lives, and that is the power of hope - the belief that somethingbetteris always possible if you're willing to work for it and fight for it.It is our fundamental belief in the power of hope that has allowed us to rise above thevoices of doubt and division, of anger and fear that we have faced in our own lives and in the lifeof this country. Our hope that if we work hard enough and believe in ourselves, then we can bewhatever we dream, regardless of the limitations that others may place on us. The hope thatwhen people see us for who we truly are, maybe, just maybe they, too, will be inspired to rise totheir best possible selves.That is the hope of students like Kyra who fight to discover their gifts and share themwith the world. It's the hope of school counsekors like Terri and all these folks up here who guidethose students every step of the way, refusing to give up on even a single young person. Shoot,it's the hope of my - folks like my dad who got up every day to do his job at the city waterplant; the hope that one day, his kids would go to college and have opportunities he neverdreamed of.That's the kind of hope that every single one of us- politicians, parents, preachers- allof us need to be providing for our young people. Because that is what moves this countryforward every single day – our hope for the future and the hard work that hope inspires.So that's my final message to young people as First Lady. It is simple. I want our youngpeople to know that they matter, that they belong. So don't be afraid - you hear me, youngpeople? Don't be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered. Empoweryourselves with a good education, then get out there and use that education to build a countryworthy of your boundless promise. Lead by example with hope, never fear. And know that I willbe with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life.

Write a short response to the article, agreeing or disagreeing with some of the points made. What are some questions that the audience may have toward the speech? What is a parallel speech that could be paired with M. Obama’s speech? How do you believe her speech resonated with different groups of people?

Write a short response to the article, agreeing or disagreeing with some of the points made. What are some questions that the audience may have toward the speech? What is a parallel speech that could be paired with M. Obama’s speech? How do you believe her speech resonated with different groups of people?