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Meeting with Michelle Obama

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Photo: First Lady Michelle Obama meets with young women in Marrakech, including YES alumna Khaoula Anassteme, on her left.

First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama recently traveled to Morocco as part of an international tour to promote girls education and the Let Girls Learn initiative. She was joined by actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto on June 28th in Marrakech, where they met with Moroccan teenagers to learn about their educational experiences and inspire them in their career paths. At the same time, the Millennium Challenge Corporation announced a $100 million investment for Moroccan girls’ education.

According to the First Lady, “Large scale efforts like these are critically important, and will affect the lives of countless girls, but they’re simply not enough,” she pointed out, noting that “governments alone cannot solve this problem.”

Needless to say, it was a big week for girls’ education in Morocco! And YES alumni were right there in the middle of it.

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 Photo: Samia poses with Meryl Streep

Samia Gouaalla (YES 2013-2014, hosted by Ayusa in Salem, MO) and Khaoula Anassteme (YES 2014-2015, hosted by American Councils in New Richmond, WI) were invited to take part in an intimate conversation with the First Lady and the two actresses. As two of only 18 girls in this special group, Samia and Khaoula were able to have direct, meaningful discussions about their experiences with these influential figures.

Samia says that “they were all very friendly and very humble to us, and I could see myself in each one of the ladies.” She recalls that Meryl Streep had particularly memorable advice for her about being willing to take risks and overcome fears in order to live up to her potential.

Khaoula's favorite part of these events was, "hearing the stories of all the inspirational people that were there." Khaoula even had the opportunity to be interviewed by the First Lady! 

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Photo: Samia and Ambassador Bush

The girls were also delighted to be included in a special Iftar dinner with the U.S. Ambassador to Morocco, Dwight L. Bush, Sr, and the Moroccan Minister of Education on the night before Michelle Obama’s visit. At the Iftar, Samia says she had a chance to speak at length with Ambassador Bush, and was impressed by his encouraging words, that “if he could do it, everyone else can.”

According to Khaoula, "This whole experience is like this great thing of positive vibes and after being part of it, I have grown to be a more hardworking, determined person with a great belief that the future of girls education is going to be brighter... The YES program was an eye-opening experience. It helped me develop a new perspective on a lot of matters such as girls education."

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Photo: Michelle Obama posted this snapchat of Khaoula just before interviewing her.

For Samia, those two days were “phenomenal, historical, and just so much more magical than I could grasp! Meeting all of those celebrities and the First Lady gave me a very big boost and made me want to go back home and help with girls education, especially in the rural areas.”

She continues, “The YES program was the experience that gave me my first look into what I actually want to do maybe ten years from now. It made me realize that a routine job locked in an office is not where I want to be.”

No doubt, the YES program made a great impact on both Samia and Khaoula, and they are in turn making a great impact on the influential people they are meeting.

The First Lady even included the girls in her SnapChats of the event!

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Photos: SnapChats from Michelle Obama at the special event with the young women.

Both Samia and Khaoula continue to make education a priority in their own lives, as well. Khaoula just finished high school with honors in Marrakech. Samia attend a univeristy nearby in Agadir where she is majoring in Economics.


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