It was all about the young people at the Gaiety Theatre on 17 June.
“Kids, you guys, young people, you guys have my heart,” said US First Lady Michelle Obama to the children gathered at the Gaiety Theatre for a special performance of River-dance.
“You guys move me in ways that you don’t even imagine,” she continued. “So it was so important for us that while we were here that we got to do something with the young people here in Dublin.”
It was equally important to the young people and their parents who gathered to see her. Many – including the 30 in attendance with Metro Éireann tickets – had waited for more than four hours to catch a glimpse of the First Lady.
Listening to Michelle Obama speak was inspirational for Grace Obot, who was at the event with her son. “When she talked to us, she knew she wouldn’t lose [our interest], when she mentioned, ‘You can be president tomorrow, you can be first lady tomorrow, you can be anything tomorrow, but you have to start now, you have to work now, you have to plan out what you want to achieve now, and you have to believe in yourself.’ That was a good message for all of us and for the children,” said Obot.
As a mother and a role model, Mary Wokocha identified with the First Lady on a personal level. “I think I connect with her so much because she is a woman of substance,” she said. “[Obama] is a mother, she loves the idea of children working harder and growing to become something in life, and because she uses herself as an example, using her background to show how hard she worked to be where she is today.”
The key points in the First Lady’s speech, such as working hard and never giving up, struck a chord with many young people in attendance.
Tatenda Madondo, a 15-year-old student, said that after the event was over she overheard other kids talking about how influential the First Lady was.
“The most memorable part was probably the advice she gave us, about letting our imagination take us to the place we most want to go, and that we should think big and dream big and then we can do anything we want,” said Madondo.
“Her advice has continued to motivate me to work hard in school at my studies. I know that she is a lawyer and that is something I want to be as well, so it has encouraged me to study harder and do well in exams.”
Although fairly unfamiliar with the Obamas before the event, student Lisa Phiri left the Gaiety with a new appreciation for the First Lady.
“The way she said to pick yourself up when you fall down, I liked that part of her speech because not many people would say that,” said Phiri.
The First Lady concluded her speech by looking to the futures of the children in the room. “I can’t wait to see who you all become,” she said.
After the event Wokocha said that Michelle Obama’s words had a very positive effect on her children.
“[Obama] is a really great motivation for our children,” she said. “The key point they took was that working hard is the only way out, the only way to become something in life.”
