Cue the waterworks: It’s almost time to bid adieu to First Lady Michelle Obama. The 52-year-old and her husband, President Barack Obama, will soon be leaving 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And as we move toward the transition of Donald Trump from president-elect to president, we look back at Michelle's time as First Lady and applaud her priority to promote education, women's rights, and the importance of self-determination.
Michelle has made the best of her time on the world’s stage, which may be why it’s so hard to say goodbye. As we count down the days until Michelle and Barack walk off into the political sunset, here are five times she totally owned the White House.
That time she championed education for 62 million girls
Michelle launched the Let Girls Learn initiative in March 2015 to increase the number of girls worldwide who are getting an education. Currently, there are 62 million girls who are not in school.
Michelle is working to change that. Let Girls Learn uses resources to encourage more girls to enroll in school and erase the barriers that prevent them from going in the first place. Sexism is partly to blame for the number of girls who don’t have access to a quality education. In a December speech, Michelle called out sexists who think a boy’s ideas matter more.
“Back when I was a girl, even though I was bright and curious, and I had plenty of opinions of my own, people were often more interested in hearing what my brother had to say,” she said during the World Innovation Summit for Education. “And my parents didn't have much money; neither of them had a university degree. So when I got to school, I sometimes encountered teachers who assumed that a girl like me wouldn't be a good student.”
She definitely proved those haters wrong.
That time she encouraged kids to exercise and eat healthier
The Let’s Move campaign is definitely one of the shining staples of Michelle’s White House reign. The FLOTUS spent a lot of her time in the White House taking on childhood obesity, which affects one out of every three American children.
Michelle promoted exercising and eating healthier as two of the most important parts of remaining fit. She even got celebrities, like Beyoncé, to join her on this quest to make children healthier.
Best of all, it worked. Let’s Move celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2015. Since Michelle launched the initiative, obesity has dropped 43% among children between the ages of 2 and 4, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Five years ago people looked at me like I was crazy because they said it wasn't an issue," she said on Live with Michael and Kelly in April 2015. "That childhood obesity wasn't an issue in this country. And today we have seen changes, improvements in the school lunches. We've seen grocery store manufacturers putting healthy food there and keeping the prices low. Schools, classrooms are putting in salad bars. And kids are getting active during the day. It's just been a real culture shift."
That time she inspired us all to shake off the haters
In her 2016 Democratic National Convention speech, Michelle made a statement that’s echoed throughout the entire campaign: “When they go low, we go high.”
She said the one-liner to zing Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, but simultaneously gave us all an everyday mantra and permanent Instagram caption. Hillary Clinton has used the line multiple times, and it has become a touch-point in a very tense election cycle.
However, it’s a really a life lesson for all of us: When negativity comes your way, rise above it.
That time she created a vegetable garden we all envy
As part of the Let’s Move campaign, Michelle planted a vegetable garden on the White House’s South Lawn in 2009. It’s full of fresh vegetables that designed to grow “a healthier nation for our children,” according to an inscription on a placard near the garden.
She’s very proud of the garden she’s built, primarily because it is part of a larger effort to encourage healthier eating.
“I take great pride in knowing that this little garden will live on as a symbol of the hopes and dreams we all hold of growing a healthier nation for our children,” Obama said during a speech on October 5. "I am hopeful that future first families will cherish this garden like we have.”
It is unclear what will become of Michelle’s garden when the next family moves into the White House, but the National Park Service is supposed to maintain it, according to Politico.
Hillary did say during an October 27 co-rally that she will upkeep the garden, if she wins the presidency.
That time she gave a quick history lesson about slavery
Slavery is a brutal part of American history that many people refuse to acknowledge. Michelle isn’t one of them.
She’s routinely brought up slavery’s impact, especially as her time as First Lady continues winding down. During a June commencement speech at the Santa Fe Indian School, Michelle spoke about what her great-grandfather’s devastating life taught her about the importance of education.
“My great-great grandfather was another man’s property, my great-grandfather was another man’s servant, my grandparents and parents felt the sting of segregation and discrimination,” she said. “But because … they held fast to their impossible dreams for themselves and their children, today my two daughters wake up each morning in the White House.”
Michelle didn’t stop there though: On two occasions, she’s also mentioned the contorted history of the White House. During a June commencement speech at City College in New York, Michelle said she, her daughters, and her husband wake up in a house built by slaves.
She reiterated this line during the Democratic National Convention in July. While officially endorsing Hillary for president, Michelle said that her story is that of the average American.
“That is the story of this country, the story that has brought me to this stage tonight, the story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves,” she said. “And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.”
Related: The Internet Has Basically Crowned Michelle Obama Queen of the DNC After Her Stirring Speech
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