She was the first African American woman to serve as First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017.

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, born January 17, 1964, in Chicago, Illinois, is an attorney and author who served as First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A Capricorn known for her discipline and ambition, she graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School before building a career in law and public service. She launched initiatives on healthy eating, education, and military families, and authored the record-breaking memoir Becoming in 2018.

Michelle grew up on the South Side of Chicago, where her father Fraser Robinson III worked for the city water plant and her mother Marian was a secretary. She excelled at Whitney Young Magnet High School, graduated from Princeton University in 1985 with a degree in sociology and African American studies, then earned her law degree from Harvard Law School in 1988. She began her legal career at the Chicago law firm Sidley Austin, where she met Barack Obama while serving as his mentor during his summer internship.

Michelle married Barack Obama in October 1992, and they have two daughters, Malia and Sasha. As First Lady, she championed healthy eating through her Let's Move! campaign, planted a vegetable garden at the White House, and advocated for military families and girls' education worldwide. After leaving the White House in 2017, she launched media ventures including podcasts and production partnerships, continued her advocacy work for voter participation, and ranked as the most admired woman in Gallup polls for three consecutive years.