FLOTUS to South Side Chicago HS Grads: ‘You Have More Scars Than They Do’

Tuesday at Martin Luther King Jr. Preparatory High School in Chicago, IL, First Lady Michelle Obama delivered the commencement address for the graduating class telling them because of the “struggles” that come with growing up on the south side of Chicago, “you have more scars than they do.”

“Instead of letting your hardships and failures discourage or exhaust you, let them inspire you. Let them make you even hungrier to succeed,” she said.

The first lady referenced teenager Hadiya Pendleton, who would have been graduating with the class but was was fatally shot in January 2013 on her way home, and said, “I know that many of you are thinking about Hadiya right now, and feeling the hole she has left in your hearts. So maybe you have been tested a lot more and a lot earlier in life then many other young people. Maybe you have more scars than they do. Maybe you have days when you feel more tired than someone your age should ever feel. But graduates tonight I want you to understand that every scar is a reminder not just that you got hurt but that you survived.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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