First lady addresses first graduating class of UC-Merced

[BlueJessamine]

Source: CNN

Dream big and give back, Michelle Obama told the first graduating class of University of California-Merced on Saturday in her first commencement speech as the first lady.

"Remember that you are blessed — remember that in exchange for those blessings you must give something back," Obama told the sprawling, cheering crowd at the university. "You must reach back and pull someone up. You must bend down and let someone else stand on your shoulders so that they can see a brighter future."

The trip to the state university system's newest and smallest campus was her first trip to California since her husband, President Barack Obama, took office.

The fledgling school, which opened in 2005 and has a 2,700-member student body, worked hard to get the first lady's attention, writing letters to Michelle Obama, her office, her friends and family, according to the White House. They even started a "Dear Michelle" Facebook campaign that sent out some 900 Valentine's Day cards to her.



Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/16/first-lady-addresses-first-graduating-class-of-uc-merced/

[Tiggeroshii]

1. pssshhh

whyy merced???

=(

[Bluenorthwest]

2. Because it is a tiny new underdog of a campus

that represents the hope in a town hit hard by what we call the economic downturn. It was a very excellent choice by the First Lady I think, one that not many people in her position would make. It was a choice made with the school in mind, not the invited speaker's glory in joining a grand lineage of speakers at some other school.
I applaude her for making a thoughtful selection.

[Tiggeroshii]

3. Yeah me too

But MERCED? Really??

I'm just jealous, sorry =P

[lunatica]

5. It's Michelle's style to go to the struggling communities

She's giving the first graduating class of UC Merced a big boost by acknowledging them. They deserve it. In their communities they are really forging a new path for themselves and it. Her speech was about giving back to the community. That's Michelle's true calling. She has said so herself. She has said she could be a lawyer in a high powered law firm but she prefers to work for the community.

[polmaven]

4. She did well...

I probably would have passed out wearing that robe in all that heat. Not only did she keep her cool, but her speech was very well given.