“I didn’t like science that much,” First Lady Michelle Obama declared at a “Q&A With Children at Take-Our-Daughters-And-Sons-To-Work Day” event at the White House Wednesday.
But, where's the outrage? When Barbie said, "Math class is tough," they were ready to fry her in a microwave.
Asked if she ever wanted to be First Lady as a child, Mrs. Obama said she, initially, wanted to be a pediatrician, but her distaste for science caused to change her mind about her career choice – which she did several times before becoming an outspoken authority on the science of topics ranging from nutrition to climate change:
MRS. OBAMA: “No, I didn’t. I didn’t know I could be the First Lady. I mean, like Amoni said, I grew up -- my parents didn’t go to college. I grew up in a working-class neighborhood. Sometimes you can only be what you know exists in the world, and no one like me was ever the First Lady of the United States. Nobody like my husband was ever the President. So it was never something I knew I could aspire to be.
“So instead, I wanted to be a pediatrician. And then after I decided I didn’t like science that much, I decided maybe I’d be a lawyer. So I worked hard and I went to law school, and I practiced law. And then I decided I didn’t want to be a lawyer, so -- that’s what you do in life. You kind of explore things. I decided I wanted to work for city government, so I worked in Chicago. Then I started a nonprofit organization that worked with young people that wanted to pursue careers in public service. Then I worked at a university.
“So I’ve done all kinds of things, and along that path, First Lady never even came across my mind. But here I am. And it’s a pretty cool job. So just know that -- why education is important is that all that stuff I did leading up to now prepared me to be the First Lady, even though I didn’t even know I wanted to be the First Lady. Does that make sense?”
To her credit, as First Lady, Michelle Obama has strongly encouraged children to pursue education and careers in science.