Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Michelle Obama to Teen: 'It's an Honor For You To Represent My Hometown'

By Kyla Gardner | November 14, 2014 5:59am
 Jennifer Gonzalez accepted a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award Monday from first lady Michelle Obama at the White House.
Jennifer Gonzalez Meets Michelle Obama
View Full Caption

CHICAGO — When Chicago Public Schools student Jennifer Gonzalez stepped up to a White House podium Monday, nervous to give a speech in front of first lady Michelle Obama and dozens of other dignitaries, she fell back on her theater training.

"When I was up there I imagined that I had a 'string attached to my head' as our director, Kirsten Kelly, would always tell us," Gonzalez said in an email. "Then those nerves faded away."

The Prosser Career Academy junior was in the nation's capital to accept a prestigious National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award on behalf of CPS Shakespeare!, an after-school theater program for students.

Gonzalez, 16, also got to chat with the first lady as photos were snapped before the event.

First Lady Michelle Obama Presents the 2014 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award
View Full Caption
YouTube/The White House

"When I told her I was from Chicago, she said 'It's an honor for you to represent my hometown,'" Gonzalez said.

Obama touted the benefits of all the programs being recognized at the ceremony — which also included dance, music and mentoring programs from across the United States.

The only two to perform for the crowded room, however, were a Clarksdale, Miss. blues band and Gonzalez.

Obama addressed the students in the audience:

"To all the young people here … I just want you all to understand that these programs are important to change the trajectory of your lives. I hope you understand that."

The program has drastically changed Gonzalez's life already. She performed as Titania in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" earlier this month at Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater at Navy Pier.

"CPS Shapkespeare! has honestly transformed me," Gonzalez said in her speech. "It has made me see who the real me is. And that’s someone who is goofy and full of energy."

She's thinking of becoming a drama teacher herself — to impart those lessons, that being yourself counts, that your voice counts — to students after her.

During her speech at the White House, Gonzalez got a chance to show off the drama skills she's learned. She performed a few lines of dialog as the character Ameila in "Othello." (You can see it in the embedded video: Her speech starts around the 42-minute mark.)

And, of course, on top of all the benefits CPS Shakespeare! has imparted to her, getting to hang out with the first lady wasn't too bad of a perk, either, Gonzalez said.

"To meet the first lady was amazing," she wrote in an email. "I was ecstatic to not only shake her hand but to hug her as well!"

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: