Michelle Obama and Yara Shahidi Are Meeting Up on Campus to Share Inspiring Life Lessons with Students

The pair will speak with students during an event on Nov. 9 at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland that will live-stream to other campuses across the country

Michelle Obama
Former First Lady Michelle Obama. Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty

It's mid-semester on most college campuses, but Michelle Obama is heading back to school.

The former first lady, 57, will speak with students during an event on Nov. 9 at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Maryland, which will stream live to other schools around the country.

Black-ish and Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi, 21, will moderate the discussion with Obama, covering themes from Becoming, Obama's best-selling memoir, as well as other topics relevant to young people in pursuit of an education. (And it's a likely bet that Obama's guest-star appearance on season 8 of Black-ish will come up in conversation, too.)

"I can't wait to hear from students across our country as they navigate their studies and lives during this unprecedented time," Obama said in an announcement of the event. "As a first-generation college student myself, I remember my own struggles to manage classes and figure out my place on campus — and I can't even imagine how much harder it is to do it during a pandemic, when so much feels like it's constantly up in the air."

Yara Shahidi
Yara Shahidi. Rich Fury/Getty

Obama attended college at Princeton University, graduating in 1985 with a major in sociology and a minor in African-American studies.

Acknowledging the uncertainty many young people feel as they take on higher education, Obama had more encouraging words in her statement.

"I just hope they realize that moments of self-doubt and fear are completely natural, but if we embrace those moments — if we own our stories and use our voices — we can share the very best parts of ourselves with the world," she said.

BET will produce a piece on Obama and Shahidi's event and air it later in the month.

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