Malia Obama has blossomed into a beautiful young lady in her eight years in the White House. We have watched her and sister Sasha grow, and both appear to be confident, capable, lovely young women.
Malia, one-fourth of the tight-knit Obama family, is obviously close to her parents, but she seems to have a special relationship with dad. President Barack Obama reportedly chose not to speak at her recent high school graduation for fear of his emotions. Of her leaving home, he has said that he is “losing one of my best friends.”
In the tradition of her brilliant parents, Malia Ann (whose name is "Mary" in Hawaiian; Ann is the president’s mother’s name) will be attending Harvard University but will not begin until the fall of 2017, when her father is out of office. She has traveled the world with her parents, most recently with her mother, grandmother and sister to Africa in support of Let Girls Learn. We wish her the very best in her first steps into adulthood!
Happy birthday, Miss Malia!
Angela Bronner Helm is a writer, editor and professor of journalism at the City College of New York. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Malia in London, 2015
Malia in London, 2015
Malia Obama in Senegal, 2013
Malia Obama in Senegal, 2013
Malia in the Oval Office, 2015
Malia in the Oval Office, 2015
Malia in Washington, D.C., 2014
Malia in Washington, D.C., 2014
Malia in Cuba, 2016
Malia in Cuba, 2016
Malia in Hawaii, 2009
Malia in Hawaii, 2009
Malia in Washington, D.C., 2014
Malia in Washington, D.C., 2014
Malia in Hawaii, 2011
Malia in Hawaii, 2011
Malia in Washington, D.C., 2016
Malia in Washington, D.C., 2016
Malia’s Birthday, 2014
Malia’s Birthday, 2014
Malia in the White House, 2009
Malia in the White House, 2009
Malia in Honolulu, 2008
Malia in Honolulu, 2008
Malia in Hawaii, 2010
Malia in Hawaii, 2010
Malia in the Oval Office, 2011
Malia in the Oval Office, 2011
Malia in China, 2014
Malia in China, 2014
Malia in the Rose Garden, 2015
Malia in the Rose Garden, 2015
Malia in Hawaii, 2009
Malia in Hawaii, 2009
Malia in Maine, 2010
Malia in Maine, 2010