President Barack Obama’s daughter, Malia Obama, graduates from Sidwell Friends High School in Washington D.C. today.
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The president blamed his emotions for declining the invitation to deliver the commencement address at the elite private school where Malia is among only 127 graduates. Her father, mother and other family members were on hand for the big moment. The White House barred any media coverage. Her plans for the next 12 months haven’t been revealed – and aren’t likely to be disclosed by the White House – though Obama joked recently he wasn’t likely to have much of a say. They have chose to allow youngest daughter, Sasha, to finish high school-Sidwell Friends School-saying “transferring someone in the middle of high school-tough”.
He called Malia “one of my best friends”.
“She already doesn’t listen to me, whatever I say”, he told a questioner in Ho Chi Minh City who asked if Malia might travel there during her gap year. Neither Obama and First Lady wanted to make a speech during the graduation as well. He had previously told a group in Detroit that he planned on wearing dark glasses to hide his proud-papa tears, and he gave Malia a standing ovation when she walked across the stage. After Friday’s graduation ceremony, the Obama family celebrated over lunch at Cafe Milano in Georgetown.
What’s next for Malia? She’s taking a year off before enrolling at Harvard in the fall of 2017.
As the January 20 end of his presidency nears, and Obama has become a bit nostalgic, he has talked about Malia. The Obamas have rented a home in the capital while Sasha completes her own high school career at Sidwell. And Malia is more than ready to leave, but I’m not ready for her to leave. “They don’t have an attitude”, Obama said. The soon-to-be 18-year-old landed an internship last summer-working on the set of HBO’s hit series “Girls”.
Click through the following gallery to see rare shots of Sasha before and at the beginning of her White House stint.
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The pre-teen whose swing set still sits just outside the Oval Office now turns heads when she’s spotted around town – including driving her vehicle. In a house with 132 rooms, she and her sister did not share one.
