Keeping Busy

Michelle Obama to Mentor Teens

Staffers will also volunteer with D.C. girls.

Forget Girl Scouts. What if your afterschool activity was to hang out at the White House? In another first lady first, Michelle Obama is launching a mentorship program that pairs local high-school girls with successful female leaders, including the first lady herself. The initiative’s inaugural round of students will include 20 Washington-area sophomores and juniors and feature discussions revolving around college, careers, and motherhood. Several members of Obama’s female staff will join her as mentors, and Monday’s launch will include a visit to the mentors’ offices and a group dinner. The program was developed from a March event at the White House, when the students spent time with Obama, Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow, Mae Jamison, and other women. The first round of students was selected by local high schools, the Girl Scouts, and Gold Star families.