First Lady Michelle Obama spoke Friday at Wayne State University to around 100 future Eastern Michigan University students. It was a part of Detroit's College Signing Day, which celebrates Detroit students moving on to college from high school. There were among over 2,000 students from over 40 schools across the city in attendance, according to the Detroit News.
“If I can do it, man, so can you,” the Detroit News quoted the first lady. “I am like you. There's no magic here. I didn't get here because I was rich or famous or had important people looking out for me. I got there because I worked hard.”
In its press release, EMU’s Office of University Communications said over 600 signing events were held across the country, utilizing the #ReachHigher hashtag on Twitter. Promoting higher education has become a major initiative for the first lady, along with better nutrition.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Obama used the stop as part of her Reach Higher initiative, which also encourages students to get education higher than a high school diploma. The first lady said there is no one-size-fits-all path to success beyond high school.
The United States has lagged behind in education in recent decades, especially in math, according to a 2012 report from the Organization for Cooperation and Development, while “performance in reading and science are both close to the OECD average.”
The U.S. spends around $115,000 per student, the OECD says. But that does not necessarily translate into good results. The Slovak Republic, for example, gets similar results to the U.S. and spends $53,000 per student.
“We need to start shining more light on the real paths to success of young people,” Obama said.
Recently hired University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was also in attendance.
