Michelle Obama to Deliver Commencement Speeches at Jackson State, Santa Fe Indian School, and City College of New York
First Lady Michelle Obama is set to deliver the commencement addresses at Jackson State University, Santa Fe Indian School, and City College of New York in the next couple of months.
The three commencement speeches will be delivered as part of the First Lady's Reach Higher Initiative, the White House announced on Monday, April 4.
Obama will address over 1,000 spring graduates of Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi on Saturday, April 23. JSU is a Historically Black University that was built in 1877 to provide education for newly emancipated African Americans. The First Lady has delivered the graduation speech at a historically black university campus every year since her husband was elected president.
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On Thursday, May 26, the First Lady will deliver the commencement remarks at the Santa Fe Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Obama will speak as part of the White House Generation Indigenous (Gen-I) Initiative, which seeks to create new opportunities for Native American youth to become the next generation of Native American leaders.
Gen-I was created as a result of the Obamas visit to the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Nation in North Dakota in 2014. There, the President and the First Lady met with local youth and learned about their struggles to overcome obstacles to success.
The Santa Fe Indian School is a National Association Secondary School Breaking the Ranks Showcase School and is a leader in Native American education.
Obama will deliver her final commencement address as First Lady during the 170th Commencement Ceremony at The City College of New York in Harlem, New York, on Friday, June 3. The First Lady will address more than 3,000 graduates making up the Class of 2016.
The City College of New York boasts one of the most diverse student populations in the country and was the first public institution to offer higher education in New York City.
