Mama Michelle is back at it again with the life keys.
In an interview with Refinery29 that aims to celebrate women around the world for International Women’s Day, Michelle Obama was interviewed by four teenagers about empowering with education.
The young women included 17-year-old Alejandra Teleguario Santizo, a Guatemalan who has organized rallies against sexual violence; Eva Lewis, a 19-year-old from Chicago who founded The I Project, which promotes activism through art; 20-year-old Pearl Niki Quarmyne, who is Ghanian and raises money for girls in her community who are in need by selling ice blocks to fisherman; and Nirupa Katuwal, a 21-year-old from Nepal who serves as a mentor for Room To Read, a nonprofit that promotes literacy and gender equality.
Santizo asked Obama what kind of advice she would give to young women who aim to make strides in their industry and become the leaders of tomorrow.
“My best advice to girls, including my own daughters, is do not be afraid to fail. So often our own fear of failure is the thing that keeps us back,” Obama told Refinery29. “We think we have to be perfect, that if we make even the tiniest mistake, it’s a catastrophe. That’s simply not true!”
Obama went on to remind the girls that quitting is not an option, even after failure. Risks are the most important part of growth.
Lewis asked Obama how education can liberate young people across the world and especially young women.
“Right now, millions of adolescent girls around the world actually don’t have the chance to go to school. Imagine if, at the age of 10 or 11 or 12, someone came to you and said, ‘Sorry, you’re a girl, you’re finished with your education. Forget about all your dreams. Instead, you’ll marry a man twice your age and start having babies,’” Obama told Refinery29.
“When we give girls an education, it can help liberate them from that kind of life. Educated girls marry later, have lower rates of infant and maternal mortality, and are more likely to immunize their children and less likely to contract malaria and HIV. Studies also show that girls who are educated earn higher salaries, and sending more girls to school and into the workforce can boost an entire country’s GDP,” Obama continued. “So education can liberate individuals, families, and even nations.”
Obama continues to shed light on the importance of educating young women even outside of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. The Obamas have their own initiative called Let Girls Learn, which aims to tackle issues facing young women who try to get an education but are blocked by governments, society, or other outside factors. They actively search for solutions to these restrictions and hope to get more and more girls inside of a classroom.
