First Lady Michelle Obama answered viewer-submitted questions about studying abroad in an exclusive CNN iReport Interview.
“More than 350 questions were submitted to CNN iReport from students, parents and avid travelers.” Several responses were included in the video and CNN published the transcript of four additional questions along with the First Lady’s answers.
For example:
How can we make foreign exchange opportunities available for all students and not just the affluent?
— Cate Thompson, Anderson, North Carolina
Obama: Great question, and thanks for your work teaching our kids. Keep it up. Making sure that all of our kids in the United States have access to opportunities to study abroad, regardless of their race or socioeconomic background, is going to be critical for us. One of the things that the President has done by promoting 100,000 Strong is work in partnership with institutions in the United States and abroad, and with U.S. companies, to increase the opportunities for more young people to study abroad, regardless of where they’re from. One of the things that he and I talk about is the shared connection that we gain when we have educational exchange opportunities between countries that are enhanced by ensuring that the folks who represent the United States, represent all of the United States.
Kids like me, who grew up in a working-class background, grew up in a tiny apartment and went to public schools, there’s a perspective that I uniquely have to share with the rest of the world. And the same is true for a kid growing up in a rural China or a kid who is a studying in Kenya. They need to have opportunities to travel the world because they are going to be our future leaders, and their voices are one that we have to hear as we continue to develop this world and continue to tackle the challenges that we will inevitably face.
Diversity is key, and we will continue to do all that we can here in this administration to continue to lift up opportunities and make them accessible for all of our young people.
You can watch the iReport interview, below:
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