Tells Youth 'White House Is Open To You'

"What did you do?" And the one thing my mom has always said, and I agree, she said, "You know what, Michelle and Barack aren't new." She says, "Michelle and Barack are not unique." She says, "There are thousands of Michelle and Barack Obamas all over this nation, in neighborhoods and communities all over the place. And she is absolutely right. She is absolutely right. There is no magic to us.

There are kids like me and Barack who grew up in modest circumstances, who didn't have access to a whole lot of resources or power or networking. But one thing that we did have were parents who cared about us, a few people in our lives who really took an interest, people who really wanted us to flourish. And that's really all that it takes. It doesn’t take anything more than consistency and love. And I know many of you have felt that in your lives. And you know that that's all that it takes to get where you need to be.

And when I was starting my career at a big law firm, it was the first job I had out of law school. I went into a big, fancy law firm. And I really was excited. I thought I had made it, you know, because I'm making a salary that was more than both of my parents' income combined, and I was, like, 24 years old. So I was, like, I made it.

But the interesting thing was that I worked in Chicago on the 47th floor of this beautiful building, and it looked directly south into my neighborhood. So everyday I'd go to the 47th floor in this big, fancy office with a secretary and I'd stare right at my neighborhood. Every day. It was sort of ironic because it reminded me that there are so many kids that but for the grace of God they could be here, they could be in my shoes. There were kids who were just as smart, just as funny, just as capable, but they missed an opportunity by a hair. You know, maybe they didn't have the right parent. You know, maybe they just didn't have that teacher who pushed them. You know, maybe it was money.

But it's such a small set of possibilities that could make the difference between me and thousands of other kids. And I realized that when those opportunities don't come, that gap just gets wider and wider and wider.

So that's one of the reasons why I changed careers. I left my law firm because I wanted to be a part of bridging that gap. I knew that there was more to my life than just making money and being in a law firm; that I had a responsibility to help narrow that gap. And I've always wanted to be a bridge between kids like me and the possibilities that could propel them to greatness. And I share that passion with my husband. That's one of the reasons why I married him, because he shared the same desire to be a bridge-builder.

So when we came to the White House we thought, wow, we've got the most powerful seat in the land to help be a bridge-builder. And we thought, what can we do to make the White House different, to make kids in our own new neighborhood know that the White House is a place for them?

So we started thinking of new ways to bring kids in, to have their voices heard, to know that the President of the United States hears you and values you and cares about your growth and development. So that's why we started this program. And I am so excited and moved and touched to have you all here.

But we're going to have fun. We are. I can get emotional, but we're going to have a lot of fun in this process. We are going to share stories. We want you to be relaxed when you come here. There will not be cameras. This is the last time you guys will be here. But we think it's important enough that this nation knows that we're doing this because we can do this all over the country, and we hope to see this kind of model. People have been mentoring young women -- this isn’t the first time; all of us sitting around the table have someone in our lives that was pushing us -- but to have it done out of the White House is special. And we have this wonderful event that got this started.

About March, one of the first things we did when we came here is that we pulled together all these powerful women -- stars and singers -- and we got them to come to the White House, and then they spread out all over the city, and they went to schools to talk to kids.

And then we came back and we had this wonderful dinner. We ate on White House china, we were over at the East Room, girls from all backgrounds, all walks of life, and the women who wanted to be a part of their lives. And we ate together. Alicia Keyes sang. Sheryl Crow played. Fran Drescher told jokes. It was like one of those "pinch me" moments, right -- for all of us; not just the girls, but for the mentors.

And when we walked away from that evening, I said, you know, that was the best thing that we've done here so far. And we wanted to replicate that night -- not just one night, not for just one set of girls, but we wanted to do it over a long period of time. And that's why all of you are here.

And we have some expectations from you, as well, that when you get to this position in your life, that you do the same thing for somebody else. That's the only thing we ask of you -- that you take on that responsibility. Right?

And if we keep building in that way, each of us pulling someone else up all the time, whether in good times or bad -- you don't have to be the First Lady to do this. Some of the best mentors in my life are my mom; they were -- my 5th-grade teacher; they were neighbors, and aunts and uncles, people without power. So it doesn’t take much to pull somebody up. Each of you will have the opportunity to do that, no matter where you end up.

And you can even start doing it now. You've got little siblings. If you know 5th-graders, kids in elementary school, your job is to be that model for them. That's all we ask of you. Right? So if we keep doing that as women, holding one another up, pushing each other forward, there's no telling what we can do."