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ICYMI, Sasha Obama — Barack and Michelle Obama [3]'s youngest daughter — is officially a university student. In a recent Today interview with Jenna Bush Hager [4] on Tuesday, Michelle opened up about seeing Sasha, 18, leave the nest and revealed that it was just as emotional of an experience [5] for her as it is for any mother.
"There were (tears)," she said. "We were really good about it. You know, we didn't want to embarrass her because she had roommates . . . But then all four of us went to lunch, and it was at the end, after lunch, when we said that final goodbye — when we got into a car — me, Barack, and Malia, who was there with us. And then Sasha drove off on her own and said that last goodbye, that's when we were like (crying noises)." So sweet!
During the interview, Michelle was in a classroom in rural Vietnam, where she is working with the Girls Opportunity Alliance [7] to promote education for young girls — something she was inspired to do after seeing her own daughters blossom into such incredible young women. "To spend your childhood growing up before the eyes of the world and to come out of that whole situation whole — they're kind, they're compassionate, they're smart, they're everything that I see in the girls that are here in Vietnam and around the world," Michelle said. "I mean that's one of the reasons I'm so passionate about girls' education because I see myself — I see my daughters — in these girls. They are no different."
As proud as Michelle is of her daughters, she did admit that seeing Sasha off was a bittersweet experience. "I feel a little melancholy that they will never be the little ones that sit on your lap and listen to your every word and look at you adoringly. Those days are over," she said. "There was a finality to [saying goodbye] because sending your kid off to college is the official start of their next chapter, and I'm excited for them,'" she said. "I'm excited for my girls to grow up and to become independent."