English subtitles for clip: File:First Lady Michelle Obama Speaks at an Education Event in Dakar, Senegal.webm

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Mrs. Obama:
Oh, merci beaucoup.

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Bonjour.

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Students:
Bonjour.

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Mrs. Obama:
Comment รงa va?

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Jerejef waa Martin Luther King.

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Teartu bi rafet-neu.

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(applause)

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It is such a pleasure
and such an honor to be here

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in the land of teranga.

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(applause)

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I want to start by thanking

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your wonderful First Lady, 
Madame Sall,

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for that very kind introduction.

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(applause)

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As fellow First Ladies --
and fellow mothers --

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we both care deeply about
the health and well-being

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of our next generation,

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and Madame Sall is doing
tremendous work

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to help children all
across this country,

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so I'm so glad that she
could be with us today.

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(applause)

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I also want to thank your
principal, Principal Sall,

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for her incredible leadership
to ensure that you all get

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the very best
education possible.

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(applause)

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But most of all, I want
to recognize all of you,

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the extraordinary students
of this outstanding school.

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You all are the reason I
wanted to be here today,

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because I am so impressed and
so inspired by all of you.

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I'm impressed by your
academic achievements;

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by how hard you're studying,

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and how well you're
doing on your exams.

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I'm inspired by your
leadership skills;

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by how you're running
your student government,

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meeting with so many
prominent women leaders,

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and preparing yourselves to
become the next generation

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of leaders in your community.

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(applause)

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With your hard work and
focus and diligence,

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you are following
in the footsteps

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of so many of the distinguished 
alumnae of this school --

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journalists like
Diabou Bassane,

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businesswomen like
Coumba Loum Thiam,

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and so many others.

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(applause)

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As you continue on this path
and graduate from this school,

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it is clear that you
will be more than ready

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to take on the challenges

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both here in Senegal
and around the world.

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(applause)

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You will be the ones

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who will make the scientific 
discoveries that cure disease.

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You will be the ones
who will draft the laws

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that guide this country.

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You will be the ones who
build the businesses

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that move Senegal forward
for decades to come.

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But of course, I know that
what you all are doing here

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isn't always easy.

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(applause)

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I know that some of you may be
the first in your families

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to attend a school
like Martin Luther King,

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so there might be people at home
who don't quite understand

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what you're going through as
you work to succeed here.

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And I know that for some of you,
just sitting in these classrooms

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each day requires great
sacrifices by your families.

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I know a little bit about
this from my own experience.

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See, like many of you,

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I didn't grow up in a family 
with a lot of money.

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My parents had to work hard
every day to support us,

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so they never had the chance
to get the kind of education

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they wanted for themselves.

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But they had big dreams for me.

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And more than
anything in the world,

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they wanted me to graduate
from secondary school

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and attend a university.

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So they, too,
made tremendous sacrifices

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to make that dream come true.

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My father worked at the city
water plant nearly every day

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of his life -- a job made more
difficult because of his illness

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called Multiple Sclerosis,
which damaged his muscles

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and made it harder for him
to walk as he got older.

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But no matter
how tired he was,

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no matter how much
pain he was in,

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every morning, my father
would pull himself out of bed

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and would go to work
to support our family.

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(applause)

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And my father
sacrificed and saved

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so that he could pay
my university tuition.

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(applause)

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He even took out loans
when he fell short.

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And let me tell you,
there is not a day that goes by

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when I don't feel the weight
of my father's sacrifice

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on my shoulders.

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(applause)

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That was even more true when I
was in school, like all of you.

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That's why, day after day,

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I made sure I did everything
in my power to make him proud.

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(applause)

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So I got up early to study.

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I stayed up late
doing my homework.

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And despite my efforts, there
were still plenty of people

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who doubted whether a girl
from my humble background

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had what it took to succeed.

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But I ignored the doubters
and kept pushing forward.

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(applause)

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And I graduated from secondary
school at the top of my class,

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and I went on to get
a bachelor's degree

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and graduate degree in law

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from two of the best
universities in my country.

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And those degrees opened
up so many opportunities

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for me to fulfill my dreams.

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So over the course of my life,
I've worked as a lawyer,

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as the director of a
youth organization,

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and as vice president
of a hospital.

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Because I had a good education,

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I was able to provide
for my family,

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give back to my community,

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and now serve my
country as First Lady.

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So I know that it can take real
courage to pursue your dreams,

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to come to this school, to pour
yourself into your education,

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to envision possibilities
for yourselves

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that no one could ever imagine.

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But don't ever forget that by
investing in your education,

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you are doing the very
best thing you can do --

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not just for yourselves,

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but for your children
and your grandchildren.

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(applause)

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And you're also doing
the very best thing

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you can do for your country.

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That is true here in Senegal,
and in the United States,

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and across the globe.

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When girls are educated,

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their countries become
stronger and more prosperous.

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(applause)

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That's why, here
in your country

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and in my country as well,

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our leaders are working
so hard to expand

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educational opportunities to
more and more young people,

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especially our young girls.

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So by making this critical
investment in your education --

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and in the future
of your country --

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you all are serving
as role models

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not just for girls
here in Senegal,

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but for girls in the United
States and around the world.

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You all are role models
for my daughters --

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(applause)

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-- which is why I brought
my older daughter

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as well as my niece here today,

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so that they could be as
inspired by you as I am.

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So if you ever start to doubt
the choice that you made

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to pursue your education,

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if you ever start feeling 
frustrated or discouraged,

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I want you to think
about all the young girls

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who are looking up to
you and dreaming

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of following in your footsteps.

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I also want you to remember
the words of the man

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whose name graces your school.

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As Dr. Martin Luther
King once said, he said,

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"I have attempted to see
my personal ordeals

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as an opportunity to
transform myself."

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So with every
challenge you face,

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with every obstacle
you overcome,

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you have the chance
to transform yourself

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into someone truly extraordinary.

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And finally,
I want you to think

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of the great South
African President,

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Nelson Mandela,
who is very much

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in our thoughts
and prayers right now.

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(applause)

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I want you to
think about this --

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if President Mandela could 
hold tight to his vision

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for his country's future

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during the 27 years
he spent in prison,

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then surely,
you all can hold tight

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to your hopes
for your own future.

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If President Mandela could
endure being confined

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to a tiny cell, being forced to
perform back-breaking labor,

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being separated from the people
he loved most in the world,

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then surely, all of us,
we can keep showing up

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and doing our best --
showing up for school each day,

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studying as hard as
you possibly can.

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Surely, you can seize the kind
of opportunities Mandela fought

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for for all of us; surely,
you can honor his legacy

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by leaving a proud
legacy of your own.

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That's how I've tried
to live my own life --

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by honoring those
who sacrificed for me,

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from my father
all the way to heroes

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like President Mandela and
Dr. Martin Luther King.

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Every day, I do my best
to make my life worthy

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of their sacrifice.

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(applause)

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And I know that all
of you will continue

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to do the same
in your lives, too.

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And today, I want you to know
just how proud I am of you.

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And all of us --

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President Obama,
I, your families,

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your teachers,
your country's leaders --

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we all believe
strongly in all of you.

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And we cannot wait to see

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everything you will do 
and achieve in the years ahead.

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Merรงi beaucoup.

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Thank you for hosting me today.

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And I wish you the
very best of luck.

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Bonne chance.

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(applause)