I believe in you, First Lady tells pupils

Published: 26 February 2010
by RÓISÍN GADELRAB

WHEN schoolgirl Nanah Colly Davis boarded the flight back from Washington to the UK after meeting Michelle Obama last week, she was clutching a very special envelope.

Inside, the First Lady had penned and signed a personal letter to the pupils of Nanah’s Islington school – Elizabeth Garrett Anderson – making it clear she had not forgotten her visit there last year.

Today, when EGA pupils bring home their school newsletter, they will be able to read the First Lady’s message in full. For everyone else, it has been reprinted in the Tribune.

Mrs Obama begins: “Since my visit to the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School last April, I have often thought about that wonderful day and the many extraordinary students I met. I am writing to wish you well as you continue your studies.” She then reminds students they “represent some of the best young people in Britain and our world”.

Mrs Obama tells them to take pride in their achievements, focus on studies, and work hard, before insisting that President Obama “knows that ultimately the wellbeing of our society depends on you and your generation”.

The hand-signed letter ends: “I believe in you, and you should always believe in yourselves. Best of luck and keep up the good work.”

Nanah was one of 10 students representing Islington schools who were invited to visit Mrs Obama at the White House after winning a Black History Month essay competition.

They toured churches, schools and the White House, where the Dalai Lama, having finished his meeting with the President, waved to them.

The pupils were shown into the Old Dining Room, where they chatted with Mrs Obama.
Highbury Fields pupil Shenece Liburd describ­ed Mrs Obama as warm and open. “She gave all the students a hug. The boys were in awe because she’s really pretty. All we could hear was the cameras clicking. The room had big portraits of royal-looking women that I kept staring at,” she said.

“I feel like I got to know more about her. One of the first things she said was: ‘I see myself in all of you’. She came from a background like us. She’s like any normal person. She has to face trials but she always succeeds.
“She told us everyone can be successful and to stay in education. It will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Shenece said she was so inspired by visiting organisations which specialise in nurturing young people that she plans to set up her own.

Nanah asked Mrs Obama what the best thing was about being First Lady.
“She loved everything – travelling around, meeting new people,”  the student said. “She asked how everyone was at EGA and if they were working hard. She’d love to visit again sometime.
“She said never lose faith in yourself and always have someone around to motivate you. Even if people doubt you, just keep on trying.”

EGA headteacher Jo Dibb said of the letter: “It’s reaffirmed the special nature of the relationship we have with Michelle Obama. It once again gave a powerful message to our girls that they have huge potential and are very special young women.”