First lady Michelle Obama's guest list for Tuesday night's State of the Union includes a teacher from Sandy Hook Elementary School; a police officer who responded to the massacre at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin; and Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton and Nathaniel A. Pendleton Sr. of Chicago, the parents of Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed on the South Side on Jan. 29. The list highlights the president's emphasis on gun violence, the White House says. The honor student and band majorette at King College Prep High School had participated in President Barack Obama's public inaugural celebration on Jan. 21, and Michelle Obama attended her memorial service on Saturday.
Additionally, the Washington Post reports that there are nods to technological innovation: Apple CEO Tim Cook will sit with Mrs. Obama, as will the winner of this year's Intel Science Fair and a member of NASA's Mars rover team.
The presence of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) is a nod to Medicaid reform. An Affordable Care Act advocate will also be in the box, as will an undocumented student whose deportation was deferred by an Obama executive order last year.
The full list, with biographical information from the White House:
Sergeant Sheena Adams (Vista, CA), Team Advisor & Lead Instructor, Female Engagement Team
A native of Kauai, Hawaii, Sergeant Adams joined the Marine Corps in 2003 and attended recruit training in Parris Island, S.C. In 2010, Sergeant Adams joined the Female Engagement Team (FET) and was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan from September 2010 to April 2011 in direct support of 1st Battalion 8th Marines in Musa Qal'eh District. Sergeant Adams received her Combat Action Ribbon and Navy and Marine Corp Achievement Medal (second award) after successful completion of the deployment. In September 2011, Sergeant Adams returned to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Advisor Training Cell, as Team Advisor/Liaison and lead FET instructor, where she re-engineered the Period of Instruction for future FETs.
Read more at the Washington Post.