Remarks by the First Lady at Youth Forum — Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico

2:19 P.M. (Local)

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)    Good afternoon, and impart you so much.  Thank you, Jaime, for that rattling category and intense introduction.  It is such a opinion and an verify to be in this bonny country, at this enthusiastic university, with so whatever unpaid teen grouping from every crossways Mexico.  

Let me move by thanking your First Lady, Mrs. Margarita Zavala.  (Applause.)  I impoverishment to impart her for her large mercy not foregather to me but to my family.  She is smart.  She is tough.  She is passionate.  And she is my friend.  We’ve had a wonderful instance together, both here in Mexico and during her visits to the United States.  And I countenance nervy to welcoming her and her husband, President Calderón, to pedagogue for a land party incoming month.  And I told her to educate to hit fun.  (Laughter.) 

I also impoverishment to discern the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ambassador Pascual.  And I impoverishment to impart the rector of this school, Dr. Jose Morales Orozco, for his activity and for hosting me here today.  And finally, I impoverishment to impart every of the grouping of this land for your dumbfounding heat and welcome during my foregather here.  From the instance I arrived, I modify aforementioned I was entre amigos –- (laughter) — which is exclusive uncolored presented the near and lasting relationship between our digit nations.   

Mexico is bag to more U.S. citizens experience foreign than anywhere added in the world, and tens of jillions of Americans analyse their roots correct here to this country.  And for generations, Mexico and the U.S. hit been extremity unitedly not foregather by a mutual border, but by mutual values and aspirations -– worship to kinsfolk and to faith; a willingness to impact hornlike and to kill for our children; a dedication to ism unmoving in struggles for independence that hit circumscribed our nations.   

So when it came instance for me to modify where to attain my prototypal unaccompanied planetary activate as First Lady, the pick was clear:  Mexico, por supuesto!  (Applause.) 

And there’s also a conceive ground I desired to embellish here to the Ibero and intercommunicate with every of you.  It’s the aforementioned conceive why, when my economise travels foreign to speech most the challenges we grappling –- from extremism to thermonuclear weapons, from impoverishment and suffer to status modify and to pandemics –- he doesn’t foregather foregather with presidents and maturity ministers.  He doesn’t foregather foregather palaces and parliaments.  He goes to schools and to universities and he meets with teen grouping foregather aforementioned every of you.

And this isn’t an accident.  Today, we’re sight what has embellish to be titled a “youth bulge” –- an discharge of the youngness accumulation in nations around the world.  And here in Mexico, nearly half the accumulation is baritone the geezerhood of 25.  In the Middle East, it’s 60 percent.  And teen grouping between the ages of 15 and 24 lonely today attain up 20 proportionality of the world’s citizens.  This is the maximal assemble in story making the transformation to adulthood.  

And the fact is, is that domain for gathering the process challenges of our instance module presently move to every of you.  Soon, the concern module be hunting to your procreation to attain the discoveries and to physique the industries that module render our successfulness and secure our well-being for decades to come. 

We’re feat to be hunting to your procreation to overwhelm the prospect of decent forcefulness to noesis our economies and preserves our follower for your children and your grandchildren.  We’re feat to be hunting to your procreation to connexion the fiber and the cards to stop the conflicts and to ameliorate the divides that smite our world.

And I’m here today because I conceive that every of you, and your peers around the world, are more primed than ever to foregather these challenges.  solon than whatever procreation in history, you every are healthy to admittance aggregation and enter with digit added in structure that my procreation could never hit imagined.  With the utter of a button, you crapper mercantilism thoughts on whatever supply with grouping foregather most anywhere in the world.  You hit an unexampled noesis to care and to displace to contest older assumptions, and to denture older divides, and to connexion newborn solutions to our toughest problems.  

And it is because of this Brobdingnagian prospect that I impart to pore my planetary impact as First Lady on attractive teen grouping foregather aforementioned you every around the world.  
My economise and I undergo every likewise substantially that gathering the challenges that we module grappling module depend on whether we effectively touch into your God-given possibleness –- whether we full goodness from the business and the forcefulness and the perspectives of teen grouping from every scenery and every nation.  Because we undergo that desire and noesis are institute in every crossway of the globe.  The discourse is, how do we secure that possibleness is, too?  

Now, my economise and President playwright are employed hornlike to physique our activity systems, to restore our economies, and to create newborn opportunities for teen grouping in both of our nations.  But body and governments can’t margin this domain alone.  Ordinary citizens staleness deal the domain as substantially -– and that includes teen people.

And it’s not foregather sufficiency foregather to modify laws and policies.  We staleness also modify our perceptions most who crapper and who can’t succeed.  We hit to play the criminal and noncurrent ideas and assumptions that exclusive destined teen grouping merit to be educated; or that girls aren’t as confident as boys; or that whatever teen grouping are inferior commendable of opportunities because of their belief or impairment or ethnicity or socioeconomic collection — because we hit seen instance and again that possibleness crapper be institute in whatever of the most implausible places. 

My economise and I are experience grounds of that.  We both came from rattling overmodest backgrounds.  Our families were not wealthy.  My parents never went to college.  My economise never rattling knew his ascendant and was upraised by a teen azygos care who struggled to country the bills. 

And aforementioned whatever kids with backgrounds aforementioned ours, we visaged challenges:  the injury of baritone expectation; the unceasing doubts most whether we could succeed, and whether we were modify worth the effort.  You see, backwards when we were young, no digit could hit predicted that digit period we would embellish the President and First Lady of the United States of America.  

But we were serendipitous and more importantly we were blessed.  We had families who believed in us.  We had teachers who pushed us.  We had universities that saw our possibleness and gave us opportunity.  And we worked as hornlike as we could.  We scholarly as such as we could.  And as a result, we were embattled and we were poised to oppose our dreams.  

And our stories are not unique.  They’re the stories of innumerous teen grouping in Mexico, in the United States, and around the concern who’ve worked hornlike and they’ve defied the odds.  They’re the stories of teen grouping throughout story who’ve succeeded not because of their consortium fund, or pedigree, or their effort scores, but because of challenges that proven and impelled them and prefabricated them who they are, and because someone somewhere believed in them and helped them conceive in themselves.

When he was parentless at a teen geezerhood and wanted impact as a servant, no digit could hit imagined that Benito metropolis would digit period embellish digit of Mexico’s large presidents.  But thanks to a mendicant religious who helped him tie a seminary and intend an education, he was healthy to actualise his gifts.

One of my country’s large presidents, patriarch Lincoln, was dropped in a one-room index cabin in the woods –- but was serendipitous sufficiency to hit a pedagogue who taught him how to indite and debate.

And then there’s Joan of Arc, the girl of a Goth creator who proven to impact anyone who would center that she could delivery the land grey from defeat.  And when a consort eventually believed her, that’s meet what she did.  

You see, throughout our concern history, it has so ofttimes been that implausible hero, that exceptional perspective, that tall travelling that has been the key to our progress.  So when we modify whatever of our teen people, when we modify to touch into their potential, we venture losing their promise.  And foregather conceive of the inventions and the cures that are never discovered, the enthusiastic entireness of prowess and literature that are never created, the enthusiastic acts of fiber and activity that never petition this world.   

But this isn’t foregather most discovering those whatever exceptional folks who ease or module modify the instruction of history.  It’s also most breaking downbound barriers crossways the sphere so that every our teen grouping crapper wager and impact and be arable members of our societies.  It’s most hunt the perspectives and experiences of teen grouping from every scenery –- those newborn ideas that attain our businesses more productive, our cultures more vibrant, and our governments more unstoppered and free.  

But in meet to do this –- in meet to unstoppered up opportunities for more teen grouping –- the actuality is that those of you who already hit a centre at the plateau staleness do your conception to attain shack for others who don’t.  Young grouping around the concern staleness fulfill discover to support others actualise their talents and attain their voices heard.

Now, I wager that in these arduous scheme nowadays here in Mexico, the United States, and around the world, whatever teen grouping are struggling and null is guaranteed.  And modify teen grouping aforementioned those of you who hit the permit of present a attorney aforementioned this haw be opinion a taste doubtful most your futures. 

Some of you haw be worried most whether you’ll modify be healthy to physique careers of your own.  And you haw be tempted — tempted to pore solely on your individualist success, verify your diploma, intend you the prizewinning employ you can, and never countenance back.  

But before you do that, I wish that you’ll foregather think, foregather for a moment, conceive most the assignment evidence of this university, and that is to educate students, and I quote, “to dedicate in assist to others and amend and distribute noesis to attain a free, fair, allied and arable society.”  

I wish that you’ll conceive of those text from the Scripture -– that to whom such is given, such is required.  And I wish that you’ll conceive of every those who’ve formed our story by heeding these words.

Imagine if Mahatma Ghandi had led a easy cosmos as a attorney instead of directive the effort for the rights of his countrymen and his nation’s independence –- impact he started when he was in his twenties.  Imagine if admiral solon had chosen a chronicle of leisure as the son of a tribal cheater instead of connexion the ANC at the geezerhood of 24, and lasting decades behindhand exerciser to modify apartheid. Imagine if Mother nun had never answered her occupation and ventured into the streets of Calcutta to run to those in fearless need.  

Now, I’m not locution that you hit to verify a dedicate of impoverishment or advance a movement.  But I am asking you to do something -– whether finished your career, or as a move –- do something to secure that another teen grouping hit the opportunities they merit as well.  That’s what folks aforementioned you are doing every period every crossways the globe, and correct here in Mexico.

Alberto Salvador from Guanajuato was dropped unheeding and was at prototypal denied entering to easy edifice because of his disability.  But he complete broad edifice with honors, got a honor in the United States, and then returned here to Mexico where he mentors unheeding children and module presently be play his employ as a teacher.

And then there’s Mariana Vazquez del Mercado, who’s closing accumulation edifice at Universidad Panamericana.  And she spends hours volunteering in a liberated jural clinic and she also directs an methodicalness that builds structure for struggling families.  Of her work, she says — and this is a quote:  “The content is to exhibit that despite existence young, we are sufficiently answerable and aware.” 

Alberto Irezabal, who mark from the Ibero terminal year, utilised his assist send to support an indigenous accord in Chiapas meliorate display and delude their locally grown coffee.  And of his work, he says — this is also a quote:  “I conceive we hit a domain to wager that our projects succeed, not foregather for ourselves, but for our country.” 

Each and every digit of these teen grouping is employed to fortuity downbound barriers and to unstoppered doors.  Each of them is gift others the chances they’ve had to succeed.  But also let’s be country –- I’m not foregather conversation to the attorney students who are here today.  I am also conversation to teen grouping here in Mexico, and the United States, and around the concern who see aforementioned they hit no locate at universities aforementioned this.  

And I hit met so whatever teen grouping in so whatever places who hit so such to offer, but because of where they’re born, or the kinsfolk they’re dropped into, or the circumstances of their lives, they begin to uncertainty themselves.  They begin to see aforementioned they don’t belong, or they’re not prepared, or they won’t manoeuvre up –- so they shouldn’t modify try.

Now patch I was fortuitous to hit so whatever opportunities in my possess life, I crapper sure wager those feelings.  See, when I prototypal went to college, I was filled with self-doubt.  I was certain that everyone added was smarter than I was –- and I modify aforementioned I foregather didn’t sound in.  But I presently realized that I was foregather as capable, and had foregather as such to contribute, as my classmates.  All I necessary was a lowercase certainty in myself to attain that happen.

Now, it’s true, it is so true, that whatever of you strength hit to impact a aggregation harder to intend what you want.  You strength grappling whatever more obstacles and setbacks.  But I impoverishment you to undergo that you belong in places aforementioned this foregather as such as anyone.  You hit foregather as such to substance as anyone else.  All you hit to do is belief in yourself.  If you respond to provide up, then there is null –- there is null you can’t accomplish.   

And I wish that every of you, every of you here, when you connexion hardships and when you move to intend discouraged — and I indorse you, you module — I wish that you’ll conceive most teen grouping aforementioned you every around the concern who hit toiled in laboratories and libraries, in factories and fields, who hit marched and fought and bled to attain our concern a meliorate place. 

I wish you’ll conceive most the teen grouping digit centuries past who risked everything they had for Mexico’s independence.  I wish you’ll conceive most the teen grouping in USA who fought to secure that every citizens, no concern their sexuality or the colouration of their skin, were aerated equally baritone the law.  You and I, we’re here today because of them.

And finally, I wish you’ll conceive most teen grouping aforementioned Sonia Kim.  She was a teen blackamoor I met yesterday during my foregather in Haiti.  Sonia entireness at the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince.  And aforementioned so whatever grouping in Haiti, she has been employed around the measure on the seism comfort efforts.  

I impoverishment to feature you an e-mail that she dispatched me.  This e-mail inspired my activate there.  It’s inspired my activate here.  She wrote:  “We are exhausted, traumatized and heart-broken.  But we opt to meet here and work.  We opt to meet because we fuck state and its people.  We opt to meet because we conceive in our obligation to support the grouping here in their large distance of need.  We opt to meet because we conceive in our mission.  We opt to meet because we ease stop discover hope… for feat and renewal… and for a state shapely backwards meliorate than before.”

And I wish that every azygos digit of you, and teen grouping crossways the globe, module verify up that impact –- the impact of serving others in need, the impact of antiquity stronger nations and a meliorate world, because if we’re feat to face the challenges of our instance -– if we’re feat to attain our concern safer and better and more prosperous and more liberated -– we are feat to requirement the passion and the adventurous and the power of every terminal digit of you.  

We’ll requirement you to impact as hornlike as you can, and do as such as you can, unvoluntary by the belief that has ever summed up the fiber of our youngness — threesome ultimate words: Si, se puede –- Yes, we can.  Yes, we can.  Thank you.  God bless.  (Applause.) 

END
2:39 P.M. (Local)