Michelle Obama to speak at UCLA in celebration of college-bound students
The event, which will be held May 1, is part of the Reach Higher initiative’s aim to celebrate and aid students in pursuit of higher education. (Chuck Kennedy/White House)
By Melissa Morris
March 5, 2019 1:28 p.m.
Former first lady Michelle Obama will speak at UCLA in May to celebrate students’ college admissions.
Obama will attend College Signing Day on May 1 in Pauley Pavilion. College Signing Day is an event that aims to celebrate students who are taking steps to pursue higher education. It is one of the flagship events of the former first lady’s Reach Higher initiative, which aims to encourage high school and transfer students to pursue higher education.
This is the initiative’s fifth anniversary, but the first time Obama will celebrate College Signing Day at UCLA. Other UC campuses will stream the UCLA event at their own simultaneous events, according to a university press release.
The Reach Higher initiative includes the Better Make Room Campaign, which aims to help 14- to 19-year-old students navigate the college application process. These efforts aim to garner support for former President Barack Obama’s “North Star” goal for the U.S. to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.
Reach Higher aims to work toward these goals by featuring students on social media, promoting college access tools and improving school counseling.
The event will only be open to invited California high school and community college students, but members of the public can watch via livestream.
