Michelle Obama Tells Girls to Rise Above Difficult Circumstances

United States first lady Michelle Obama told young women that just like her, they too can rise above difficult circumstances. She encourages them to move past the doubters and choose to surround themselves with the right crowd.

During a recent forum at the American Magazine Media Conference, Obama reminded girls that success is reachable through education. The first lady's spiel was part of her Let Girls Learn initiative. The campaign seeks to reduce the number of out-of-school girls, which currently stands at 62 million worldwide, as per CNN.

"As I told those girls in Cambodia, our job is to push past those doubters and to find those caring adults that see the positive in us because they are out there," said Obama. "Because for all the people that told me I couldn't do it, I had parents who believed deeply in my ability to do whatever I wanted to do."

She recalled how some of her teachers doubted her. They never thought a black girl from the south side of Chicago would be accepted at Princeton and Harvard.

"When you're the first lady or you're an actress, you're larger in life to many girls living in poor communities, living in urban cities, not just here in the United States, but around the world. You seem untouchable," Obama continued. "And for me, it is so important for kids, in particular, to understand that I am them, they are me."

Let Girls Learn initially got its funding through public contributions from the US, South Korea, Japan and the UK. To mark the initiative's one-year anniversary, the first lady proudly announced that several private sponsors have joined in on the cause.

According to The White House, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble have donated a total of $150,000 to the Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Fund. Other companies that have pledged their support include RTI International, JetBlue, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, J.Crew and Lyft.

Feminine hygiene brand Always showed their support by proposing a slew of girls' education emojis. There's even a Michelle Obama podium emoji.

Always has donated $100,000 to the Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Fund. The company has also collaborated with the first lady to help girls in developing countries build self-confidence and to encourage them to stay in school.