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First Lady tells college-bound Detroit students, "If I can do it, so can you"

Rebecca Kruth

First Lady Michelle Obama spoke to more than 2,000 Detroit students as part of the city's first College Signing Day.

Students from more than 40 Detroit high schools came to hear Obama speak about the importance of committing to higher education.

"In fact, we should all be as excited about college signing day as we are about the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the Playoffs," she said.

Obama told students when she arrived for her first year at Princeton University, she was overwhelmed and didn't know which classes to take,  how to get around campus or how to make friends.

"I had to take a few deep breaths, and I made a plan," she said. "Before long, I felt like I had that college thing down."
 
Students from all over Detroit took the stage before Obama's speech to announce where they'll be attending college next year.

Obama had plenty of advice for finding success in college, but she also had some words for what students should do after graduation.

"I want you to reach back to other young people from your family and from your community, and help them follow in your footsteps," she said.

The event was part of Obama's Reacher Higher Initiative, which she launched last year. The program encourages students to take charge of their future through higher education.

Detroit's was one of hundreds of College Signing Day events planned across the country.

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