Mrs. Obama: Hello, everyone!
00:01
How are you all doing?
00:03
Please rest yourselves.
00:03
Let me start by thanking
Jacob for that wonderful
00:05
introduction and for
sharing your story.
00:10
It is the reason why
we do what we do.
00:16
Just hearing how you
persevered and now you've gone
00:18
on to great life lessons like
hollandaise sauce and
00:23
And I thought I was happy
to have Malia make some
00:28
But we're so proud of you
and we're so glad that
00:33
you're the leader
that you are.
00:36
So let's give Jacob
another round of applause.
00:38
I also want to thank
the educators, the
00:44
philanthropists, the public
and private sector leaders
00:48
that are here today.
00:50
Hello to all of you.
00:52
But most of all, I want to
thank all the students that
00:55
Let me see our students
-- where are you?
00:58
I can sort of tell.
00:59
And the young man who stood
up, I like that in you.
01:04
It's like, here I am.
01:08
Audience Member: Can
we get a picture later?
01:11
Mrs. Obama: A picture later.
01:12
Now, that's leadership.
01:13
But not just the students
in this room, but there are
01:17
thousands of young people
who are joining us remotely
01:21
from national conferences
for the Technology Students
01:24
Association as well as the
Future Business Leaders
01:28
So hi out there to
all of you as well.
01:32
And really it's the students
across the country who are
01:35
studying and learning and
dreaming big -- you all are
01:43
really the reason
why we're here today.
01:48
We're here because
we believe in you.
01:50
Absolutely we
believe in you.
01:53
We're here because we want
to make sure that you get
01:55
all the skills and the tools
that you need to reach
01:57
And those dreams are amazing
and they're big and they're
02:01
huge, so you need all
the support you can get.
02:04
We're here because we know
that one of the best ways to
02:06
do that is through career
and technical education -- CTE.
02:09
And I don't know how many
people know about CTE, but
02:15
more people should, because
in today's world, a high
02:19
school diploma
just isn't enough.
02:22
I can't say that enough.
02:24
A high school diploma is not
enough to be able to compete
02:26
in today's
globalizing economy.
02:30
If you want to learn
cutting-edge skills, if you
02:33
want to prepare yourself for
college and a good career,
02:36
if you want to go into the
culinary arts like Jacob, or
02:39
start your own business, or
work in a hospital, or go
02:43
into 3D printing -- whatever
it is, it's important for
02:47
students to realize that a
four-year university is not
02:50
It is not your only option.
02:58
We talk about four-year
universities all the time,
02:59
but when we talk about
Reach Higher, we talk about
03:01
completing high school and
going beyond in whatever
03:04
way, shape or form, and
it's not always a
03:07
four-year university.
03:10
In fact, for many young
people and their families,
03:11
CTE can be the best option
because you can get all the
03:14
professional skills you
need for a good job in a
03:19
high-demand field and you
can do it at a fraction of
03:22
the time and, more
importantly, a fraction of
03:26
the cost as compared to
a four-year university.
03:28
More importantly, these are
high-quality programs that
03:32
push students academically
and challenge students to
03:37
sharpen their critical
thinking, their
03:40
problem-solving, their
communication skills -- as
03:42
we can see with Jacob, who
had all that going on
03:44
And increasingly -- and this
is very important -- there's
03:49
often a job at the end of
it, a paycheck waiting for
03:52
you right there
when you graduate.
03:57
And not a lot of college
graduates can often say that.
03:59
So Career and Tech programs
make a whole lot of sense.
04:03
And that's why across
the country, schools and
04:07
businesses are working
together to develop
04:10
curricula, which is
exciting, so that students
04:12
can get tailor-made courses
for the positions that
04:15
companies actually
need to fill.
04:18
This is why high schools are
partnering up with community
04:20
colleges so that young
people can earn college
04:24
credit and sometimes even
leave high school with
04:27
professional
credentials in hand.
04:31
And I speak at high school
graduations all around the
04:33
country, and I'm always
impressed when students come
04:35
up and say that they're
already ready to launch into
04:38
It's quite impressive.
04:43
And every day, students are
getting hands-on experience
04:44
through these opportunities
at hospitals and businesses,
04:48
schools and just about
everywhere else.
04:52
My staff tells me that
somebody is getting
04:54
experience on a 65-foot
research vessel out in the
04:57
ocean -- that's
happening somewhere.
05:00
You guys know about this?
05:03
It's pretty cool,
pretty cool.
05:04
And these kinds of
opportunities are leading to
05:06
a wave of innovation
from our young people.
05:08
Here at the Innovation Fair
today, I understand that
05:12
we're going to see a
four-inch cube satellite
05:15
that will be launched into
orbit to help us study and
05:18
analyze our
atmosphere and soil.
05:21
There's a system of laser
sensors that detect a
05:29
baseball strike zone -- for
all you baseball fans, I'm
05:32
sure that's very exciting.
05:36
And a 3D printer that
creates chocolate sculptures
05:39
-- yes, everybody
likes that one.
05:42
Everybody can
connect with that.
05:46
So CTE programs like these
are good for students
05:48
because they can learn
new skills and find
05:52
They're good for businesses
because they can tap into a
05:55
pipeline of skilled talent.
05:58
And they're good for our
country because these
06:01
programs help us grow our
economy, compete with other
06:03
countries, and unleash
the next generation of
06:07
entrepreneurs
and innovators.
06:10
And that's why, earlier this
year, my husband expanded
06:12
the United States
Presidential Scholars
06:15
program to honor some of our
best and brightest students
06:18
in Career and
Technical Education.
06:22
And later this summer, we're
going to be launching the
06:25
Reach Higher Career App
Challenge because we want to
06:28
make it easier for students
across the country to find a
06:32
CTE program that fits with
their passions and with
06:35
So I know we've got some
folks here today from our
06:40
biggest tech companies, and
I want to challenge all of
06:43
you and people across the
country -- educators, career
06:46
counselors, our business
leaders, everyone out there,
06:51
I want you to put your heads
together and think about
06:54
ways to design a new app so
that we'll help students
06:56
connect with the programs
and the jobs they need to
07:00
realize their dreams.
07:02
I want you to help our
students see which jobs are
07:05
in high demand in
their communities.
07:08
I want you to help them see
which programs give them the
07:10
skills that they need.
07:14
And I also want you to help
them figure out how much all
07:15
of this costs and what their
future earning power might
07:18
be in that given field.
07:22
I mean, you can imagine
for a kid who may not be
07:23
motivated, if they see a job
title and a salary, they can
07:26
understand the purpose of it
all -- which we're always
07:31
trying to do with
our young people.
07:34
So imagine if all that could
happen through an app.
07:36
There are so many things an
app might do for our young
07:39
people and we want to see
what all of you will come
07:42
This challenge officially
launches in a couple of
07:46
weeks, but right now you can
go to edprizes.com to sign
07:49
up for updates and to
get more information.
07:54
So I hope you all take up
the challenge and see what
07:58
we can come up with.
08:01
But to all of the young
people here, I want you all
08:03
to know that we're doing
everything that we can to
08:06
help you fill your
potential, whether that's
08:10
making it easier for you to
find career pathways just by
08:13
using your smartphone;
whether it's everything my
08:17
husband is doing to bring
down the cost of higher
08:21
education and ultimately
make two-year community
08:24
colleges free for
responsible students.
08:28
That's a hope that we -
08:32
We're also, in addition to
all that we're doing, we're
08:38
depending on you as the
students to do your
08:42
And that means for all of
you here, I know you're
08:46
already doing it, but I
can't say it enough -- we
08:50
need you all to just
get it together.
08:53
To study as hard as you can.
08:56
To put everything into your
studies that you can do.
08:59
Reach higher for yourselves
every single day.
09:03
There has to be a hunger
that you all have that no
09:06
one can fund for you.
09:10
There can be no policy
written to make you find
09:14
your -- to prioritize
your education.
09:17
And every day you have to
come in with that hunger.
09:22
You got to be ready.
09:24
You got to be studying.
09:25
You got to be in class.
09:26
If you're online,
you got to be there.
09:27
You got to do those
assignments, make it
09:29
So you've got to
finish the job.
09:33
No one can do that for you.
09:35
Not the President,
not the First Lady.
09:37
I don't care how much money
is out there, if you don't
09:39
have it here and here --
it's not going to happen.
09:42
So we want you to
complete your education.
09:45
There is no alternative.
09:50
Finish your education.
09:52
Whether you do it through
one of these fantastic CTE
09:54
programs, or whether you go
on to a community college,
09:57
four-year college --
whatever you do, you've got
10:01
to finish your education.
10:03
But you've got
to get something.
10:04
You've got to get a degree,
a certificate -- something
10:08
you've got to have.
10:12
And if you do that, you'll
have the tools that you'll
10:13
need to fulfill your dreams.
10:16
And as you work to get your
education -- I want to close
10:18
with what I said at the
outset -- just know that we
10:23
We do all of this because
we know you have the raw
10:28
material that it takes to do
whatever is in your heart to do.
10:31
Barack and I know this
because we stand where we
10:37
are today because we had a
lot of support and we had
10:40
something in our hearts and
minds that told us that we
10:45
So we believe in
you -- all right?
10:49
If you don't walk away from
this with any other message,
10:52
is that you've got a whole
lot of folks who think you
10:57
can be great, and you've got
a country who actually needs
11:00
We're counting on you to be
that next generation to take
11:05
over all that we're doing.
11:09
So you got to be trained,
you got to be ready, you got
11:10
to be hungry, and you got
to take advantage of every
11:13
opportunity that
comes your way.
11:16
So keep up the great work.
11:18
I hope you have a phenomenal
time here at the White House.
11:21
Ask a lot of questions.
11:25
I don't have to
tell that to you.
11:31
And just know that we are
going to keep working as
11:36
hard as we can -- not just
here in the White House,
11:39
Mentoring you and raising
the next generation up to be
11:43
great is something -- it's a
personal goal for me
11:46
So we're only
getting started.
11:51
So we're hoping that you'll
be ready to partner with us
11:54
when we get out of here.
11:58
So I look forward to
everything you all will do
12:01
in the years ahead.
12:03
Enjoy the conference.
12:04
You all, thank you so much
for being here on behalf of
12:05
Put your heads together;
let's figure out what more
12:09
we can do to keep these
kids moving in the
12:12