It all began in 1989, when Michelle Robinson was an associate at Sidley & Austin–the sixth-largest corporate law firm based in the United States. Michelle had just completed her first year in the firm as an intern when the buzz started. The word around the office was that there was a promising first-year law student who was—at the time—enrolled at Harvard, who would be joining the firm.1 Even though the office was buzzing with this hot news, Michelle kept in mind that first-year law students hardly ever get this type of opportunity, considering the size and degree of the firm. So she assumed he was some sort of super geeky nerd. She also assumed, because of their similarities—such as the law school they attended, and their alike characteristic of being a minority—that they would be paired to work together, with Michelle as his adviser.2
courtyard at Princeton University | Courtesy
of The Princeton Weekly Bulletin
When Michelle first heard about Barack, she said she “probably did what a lot of people do when they hear about Barack Obama.”3 She explained that she had been taken back by the name, unique in its entirety, and she wondered where he was from. As she read more into his biography, she learned a lot about him, including the fact that he grew up in Hawaii, and that he was biracial.
Barack was in fact placed under her wing a few days later, and Michelle took him out to lunch on his first day as a way to establish a professional relationship.4 Little did anybody know that one day they would be much more than just co-workers. Since she had already made the assumption that he was a weird nerd, Michelle was prepared for a geek to walk through the door. However, what happened was her future husband walked through the door, and out to lunch they went.
Even though the lunch outing on Barack’s first day at the firm went extremely well, and she was completely intrigued by his humorous, down-to-earth personality, one couldn’t smell the romance beginning just yet because Michelle was not open to dating anyone at this stage in her life.5
Even though she was positively surprised by the much cuter man that walked in—not the nerd she expected—and completely intrigued by him at their lunch outing, she knew she needed to be focused solely on her career.6 Besides the fact that they were co-workers, she was his adviser, and Michelle took that very seriously. Since she knew it would be wrong to pursue anything romantically in the office, she settled for a mere friendship with Barack.
But Barack wanted more than that. He insisted time after time on her letting him take her out on a date, and she told him, time and time again, no—because it wouldn’t be right. Barack’s persistence eventually led Michelle to agree on going out with him, under the circumstances that it would not be called a date.7
of Michelle Obama’s Instagram [@michelleobama]
After the negotiated “non-date” that anyone else in the world would consider a date—including them at the end of it—Michelle was completely head over heels for this man. And well, the rest is history—literally.9
- “How Michelle met Barack Obama,” YouTube, January 30, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exxrkOxnGjw. ↵
- “How Michelle met Barack Obama,” YouTube, January 30, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exxrkOxnGjw. ↵
- “How Michelle met Barack Obama,” YouTube, January 30, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exxrkOxnGjw. ↵
- “Michelle Obama,” Biography.com, November 08, 2017. Accessed November 20, 2017. https://www.biography.com/people/michelle-obama-307592. ↵
- Liza Mundy, “When Michelle Met Barack,” The Washington Post, October 5, 2008. Accessed November 20, 2017. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/10/03/ST2008100302144.html. ↵
- Liza Mundy, “When Michelle Met Barack,” The Washington Post, October 5, 2008. Accessed November 20, 2017. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/10/03/ST2008100302144.html. ↵
- Peter B. Slevin, Michelle Obama (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2015), 126. ↵
- “How Michelle met Barack Obama,” YouTube, January 30, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exxrkOxnGjw. ↵
- Liza Mundy, “When Michelle Met Barack,” The Washington Post, October 5, 2008. Accessed November 20, 2017. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/10/03/ST2008100302144.html. ↵
88 comments
Monica Avila
The Obama’s and their story always warm my heart. I love how she made him work a little harder to be able to take her out on a date. Michelle Obama is a legend and never fails to live up to her name. It is amazing that they went from these humble beginnings to being the President and First Lady of the USA.
Saira Castellanos
I love seeing posts on social media of the Obamas. Their love is so pure and reading this article made me love them all the more. I love that Michelle kept things professional then and even though Obama’s presidency she was very professional. I thought it was kinda funny how Michelle was Barack’s adviser where they worked, then they got married and she, as the wife, is still the adviser, then as the President, she would still act as an adviser, helping him with some things.
Arianna Kennet
The Obama’s are very inspirational people, and to read about their love story is very interesting and enlightening as they are such a great couple. I did not think that Michelle was Obama’s adviser before, what a cute start. I like how she also wanted to keep things professional, till today she keeps up to the standards she set.
Benjamin Arreguin
This a very romantic turn of events when a girl is difficult to say “yes”. Hardly ever does this happen, so there is major respect for Barack for being a gentleman, and showing the purity in love between two people. They both had an honest start to a relationship, and after reading this, proves that they have been model citizens both on a political standpoint, as well as a personal and romantic perspective. Very refreshing article to read, well done.
Miranda Alamilla
Ah the Obamas, such a hard couple not to love. Reading this article was super fun because I was able to experience how the Obama’s came to be. From Michelle Obama working at a Law Firm to her being Barack Obama’s supervisor to, eventually, Barack Obama being the President of the United States. The entire story keeps you on your toes from the get-go. This article really puts into perspective that if something is meant to be, it will be.
Vanessa Tombo
This article was very insightful to the earlier life that both Obama and his wife shared before becoming the first African American president. This article shows the Obama’s love and how it came to be what it is today. Their journey inspires people to challenge themselves by casting prejudice aside as well as loving other’s humanity and their humility.
Austin Pena
Great Article! I was aware that she kept denying Barack the opportunity to take her out, but was unaware that they were co-workers as well. Seeing how she wanted to keep everything professional is great considering how she was his advisor and the one to show him the ropes, but at the same time seeing how she agreed to a non date is nice because that was her way of getting around it.
Belia Camarena
This was such a sweet story, and I really liked how the author made it flow so well. It surprised me that Michelle was actually Barack’s adviser at the firm where they worked. In the office, she was his superior, and I think she was strong in trying to maintain a professional relationship with Barack. I also loved that after time she agreed to go on a non date with him, even though it was definitely a date.
Cheyanne Redman
The love story of the Obamas is absolutely adorable, it is one that every girl wishes for. I really enjoyed the article being from Michelle’s perspective. My favorite part is how she continuously turned him down, then finally gave it and fell in love. I liked how it presented the down-to-earth aspect of them, and not basically barking out a resume. This article truly pulls at the readers heart strings and one of my favorites, good job.
Hannah Wilson
This is a sweet story and I really enjoyed it. It is interesting to see where they met and how far they have come since starting at a law firm. I actually did not know what kind of jobs they had before Barack Obama turned to being a politician. I like that you chose to write about how they met and what Michelle and Barack thought of each other the first time they saw each other instead of writing about politics.