The First Lady Honors the 2017 School Counselor of the Year - VoiceTube: Learn English through videos!

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[applause]
Michelle Obama: What's going on?
[applause]
Michelle Obama: Thank you all so much.
[applause]
Michelle Obama: You guys, that's a command.
Rest yourselves.
[laughter]
Michelle Obama: We're almost at the end.
[laughter]
Michelle Obama: Hello everyone and, may I say
for the last time, officially, welcome to the
White House.
[applause]
Michelle Obama: Yes.
Well, we are beyond thrilled to have you all
here to celebrate the 2017 National School Counselor
of the Year as well as all of our State
Counselors of the year.
These are the fine women and a few good men --
[laughter]
-- one good man -- who are on this stage and they
represent schools from across this country.
And I want to start by thanking Terri [phonetic
sp.] for that wonderful introduction and her
right-on-the-spot remarks.
I'm going to say a lot more about Terri in a few
minutes, but first I want to take a moment to
acknowledge a few people who are here.
First, our outstanding Secretary of Education,
John King.
[applause]
As well as our former Education Secretary, Arnie
Duncan.
[applause]
I want to take this time to thank you both publicly
for your dedication and leadership and friendship.
We couldn't do this without the support of the
Department of Education
under both your leadership.
So, I'm grateful to you personally and am very
proud of all that you've done for this country.
I also want to acknowledge a few other special guests
we have in the audience.
We've got a pretty awesome crew.
[applause]
Or as one of my staff said,
"You roll pretty deep."
[laughter]
I'm like, "Well, yeah, we have a few good friends."
We have with us today Ted Allen, Lala Anthony,
Connie Britton, Andy Cohen -- yeah,
Andy Cohen is here --
[cheers]
Carla Hall, Coach Jim Harbaugh and his beautiful
wife who's a lot better looking than him.
[laughter]
Lana Parrilla, my buddy Jay Pharaoh, Kelly Roland,
Usher --
[cheers]
Keep it down.
[laughter]
Keep it together, ladies.
[laughter]
Wale is here, and of course Allison Williams
and her mom are here.
All these folks are here because they're using
their star power to inspire our young people
and I'm so grateful to all of your for stepping up in
so many ways on so many occasions.
I feel like I've pestered you over these years --
[laughter]
-- asking time and time again, "Well where are you
going to be?
I'm going to be in New York.
Can you come?
Can you come here?
Can you do this?
Can you take that?
Can you ask for that?
Can you come?
Can we rap?
Can we sing?
[laughter]
So, thank you all so much.
It really means the world to this initiative to have
such powerful, respected, and admired individuals
speaking on behalf of this issue.
So, congratulations on the work that you've done and
we're going to keep working.
And today I especially want to recognize all the
extraordinary leadership team that was behind
"Reach Higher" from day one.
And this isn't in the script, so they
don't know this.
I want to take time to personally acknowledge a
Executive Director Eric Waldo --
[applause]
Where's Eric?
You've got to step out.
[applause]
Eric's acting like he's a ham, but he likes the
spotlight.
He's acting a little shy.
[laughter]
I want to recognize our Deputy Director,
Stephanie Sprow.
[applause]
Stephanie, Stephanie.
Right there.
[applause]
And he's really not going to like this because he
tries to pretend like he doesn't exist at all, but
our senior advisor Greg Darnieder.
[applause]
There you go.
[applause]
Greg has been a leader in education his entire life.
[applause]
I've known him since I was a little organizer person ---
[laughter]
-- and it's been just a joy to work with you all.
These individuals -- they are brilliant, they are
creative, they have worked miracles with hardly any
staff or budget to speak of, which is how we roll
in the First Lady's office.
[laughter]
And I am so proud and so grateful to you all for
everything that you've done so let's give them a
round of applause.
[applause]
And finally, I want to recognize all of you who
are here in this audience.
Our educators, our leaders, our young people
who have been with us since we launched "Reach
Higher" back in 2014.
Now, when we first came up with this idea we had one
clear goal in mind.
We wanted to make higher education cool.
We wanted to change the conversation around what
it means and what it takes to be a success in this
country because, let's be honest, if we're always
shining the spotlight on professional athletes or
recording artists or Hollywood celebrities --
if those are the only achievements we celebrate,
then why would we ever think kids would see
college as a priority?
So, we decided to flip the script and shine a big,
bright spotlight on all things educational.
For example, we made college signing day a
national event.
We wanted to mimic all that drama and excitement
traditionally reserved for those few amazing football
and basketball players choosing their college and
university teams.
We wanted to focus that same energy and attention
on kids going to college because of their academic
achievements because as a nation, that is where the
spotlight should also be -- on kids who work hard
in school and do the right thing when no one is
watching -- many beating daunting odds.
Next, we launched "Better Make Room."
It's a social media campaign to give young
people the support and inspiration they need to
actually complete higher education.
And to really drive that message home you may
recall that I debuted my music career --
[laughter]
-- rapping with Jay about getting some knowledge by
going to college.
[applause]
We are also very proud of all that this
administration has done to make higher education more
affordable.
We doubled investments in Pell grants and college
tax credits.
We expanded income-based loan repayment options for
tens of millions of students.
We made it easier to apply for financial aid.
We created a college scorecard to help students
make good decisions about higher education and we
provided new funding and support for school
counselors.
All together --
[applause]
Yes.
Audience member: Yay, thank you.
Michelle Obama: You're welcome.
[applause]
All together we made, in this administration, the
largest investment in higher education since the
GI bill.
[applause]
And today, the high school graduation rate is at a
record high and more young people than ever before
are going to college.
And we know that school counselors like all of the
folks standing with me on this stage have played a
critical role in helping us get there.
In fact, a recent study showed that students who
met with a school counselor to talk about
financial aid or college were three times more
likely to attend college and they were nearly seven
times more likely to apply for financial aid.
So our school counselors are truly among the heroes
of the "Reach Higher" story.
And that's why we created this event two years
about, because we thought that they should finally
get some recognition.
[applause]
We wanted everyone to know about the difference that
these phenomenal men and women have been making in
the lives of our young people every day.
And our 2017 School Counselor of the Year,
Terri Tchorzynski, is a perfect example.
As you heard, Terri works at the Calhoun Area Career
Center, a career and technical education school
in Michigan, and here's what Terri's principal
said about her in his letter of recommendation.
He said, "Once she identifies a systemic need
she works tirelessly to address it."
So, when students at Terri's school reported
feeling unprepared to apply for higher
education, Terri sprang into action to create a
school-wide, top-to-bottom college readiness effort.
Under Terri's leadership, more students than ever
before attended workshops on resume writing, FAFSA
completion -- yes, I can now say FAFSA
[laughter]
Michelle Obama: -- and interview preparation.
I can barely say it.
[laughter]
Michelle Obama: They did career and
personality assessments.
They helped plan a special college week, and they
organized a military day hosting recruiters from
all branches of our armed forces.
And because of these efforts today, 75 percent
of Calhoun's seniors now complete key college
application steps, and Terri's school has won
state and national recognition.
And all of this is just one small part of what
Terri does for his students each day.
I can go on and on about all the time she spends
one on one with students helping them figure out
their life path.
Terri told us, as you've heard, she told us about
one of those students, so we reached out to Kira
[phonetic sp.], and here's what Kira had to say in
her own words.
Kira wrote that "Mrs.
Tchorzynski has helped me grow to love myself.
She helped me with my doubts and insecurities."
She said, "My life has changed for the better in
all aspects." Kira said, "She held my hand through
my hardest times." She said, "Mrs.
Tchorzynski is my lifesaver." That's what
Kira said.
[laughter]
Michelle Obama: And this is what each of
you do every single day.
You see the promise in each of your students.
You believe in them even when they can't believe in
themselves, and you work tirelessly to help them be
who they were truly meant to be.
And you do it all in the face of some overwhelming
challenges, tight budgets, impossible
student-counselor ratios -- yeah. Amen.
[laughter]
Michelle Obama: Endless demands on
your time.
You all come in early.
You stay late.
You reach into your own pockets.
And see, we got the amen --
[laughter]
Michelle Obama: You stick with students in their darkest
moments, when they're most anxious and afraid.
And if anyone is dealing with a college senior or
junior, you know what this feels like.
These men and women show them that those kids
matter, that they have something to offer, that
no matter where they're from or how much money
their parents have, no matter what they look
like, or who they love, or how they worship, or what
language they speak at home, they have a place in
this country.
And as I end my time in the White House, I can
think of no better message to send to our young
people in my last official remarks as first lady.
So, for all the young people in this room and
those who are watching, know that this country
belongs to you, to all of you, from every background
and walk of life.
If you or your parents are immigrants, know that you
are part of a proud American tradition, the
infusion of new cultures, talents, and ideas,
generation after generation.
That has made us the greatest country on earth.
If your family doesn't have much money, I want
you to remember that in this country plenty of
folks, including me and my husband, we started out
with very little, but with a lot of hard work and a
good education, anything is possible -- even
becoming President.
That's what the American dream is all about.
[applause] Michelle Obama: And if you are a person of
faith, know that religious diversity is a great
American tradition too.
In fact, that's why people first came to this
country, to worship freely.
And whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish,
Hindu, Sikh, these religions are teaching our
young people about justice
and compassion and honesty.
So, I want our young people to continue to
learn and practice those values with pride.
You see, our glorious diversity, our diversity
is the faiths and colors and creeds -- that is not
a threat to who we are.
It makes us who we are.
[applause]
Michelle Obama: So, to the young people
here and the young people out there, do not ever let
anyone make you feel like you don't matter or like
you don't have a place in
our American story because you do.
And you have a right to be exactly who you are.
But I also want to be very clear.
This right isn't just handed to you.
No, this right has to be earned every single day.
You cannot take your freedoms for granted. No.
Just like generations who've come before you,
you have to do your part to preserve and protect
those freedoms, and that starts right now
when you're young.
Right now, you need to be preparing yourself to add
your voice to our national conversation.
You need to prepare yourself to be informed
and engaged as a citizen to serve and to lead, to
stand up for our proud American values, and to
honor them in your daily lives.
And that means getting the best education possible so
you can think critically, so you can express
yourself clearly, so you can get a good job and
support yourself and your family, so you can be a
positive force in your communities.
And when you encounter obstacles -- because I
guarantee you, you will, and many of you already
have -- when you are struggling and you start
thinking about giving up, I want you to remember
something that my husband and I have talked about
since we first started
this journey nearly a decade ago.
Something that has carried us through every moment in
this White House and every moment of our lives.
And that is the power of hope, the belief that
something better is always possible if you're willing
to work for it and fight for it.
It is our fundamental belief in the power of
hope that has allowed us to rise above the voices
of doubt and division, of anger and fear that we
have faced in our own lives and in the life
of this country.
Our hope that if we work hard enough and believe in
ourselves, then we can be whatever we dream,
regardless of the limitations that others
may place on us.
The hope that when people see us for who we truly
are, maybe, just maybe they, too, will be
inspired to rise to their best possible selves.
That is the hope of students like Kira who
fight to discover their gifts and share them
with the world.
It's the hope of school counselors like Terri and
all these folks up here who guide those students
every step of the way, refusing to give up on
even a single young person. Shoot.
It's the hope of my -- folks like my dad who got
up every day, do his job at the city water plant.
The hope that one day his kids would go to college
and have opportunities he never dreamed of.
That's the kind of hope that every single one of
us, politicians, parents, preachers, all of us need
to be providing for our young people because that
is what moves this country forward every single day.
Our hope for the future and the hard work that
hope inspires.
So, that's my final message to young people as
First Lady.
It is simple.
[applause]
Michelle Obama: Thank you.
I want our young people to know that they matter,
that they belong.
So, don't be afraid.
You hear me?
Young people, don't be afraid.
Be focused.
Be determined.
Be hopeful.
Be empowered.
Empower yourselves with a good education, then get
out there and use that education to build a
country worthy of your balanced promise.
Lead by example with hope, never fear.
And know that I will be with you, rooting for you
and working to support you for the rest of my life.
And that is true, I know, for every person who is
here today and for educators and advocates
all across this nation who get up every day and work
their hearts out to lift up our young people.
And I am so grateful to all of you for your
passion and your dedication, and all the
hard work on behalf of our next generation.
And I can think of no better way to end my time
as First Lady then celebrating with all of you.
So, I want to close today
by simply saying thank you.
Thank you for everything you do for our kids and
for our country.
Being your First Lady has been the greatest honor of
my life, and I hope I've made you proud.
[applause]