Congratulations are in order for Sasha Obama after taking the stage to accept her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California.
On Friday, the 21-year-old, attended USC’s graduation ceremony at the Allyson Felix Field for USC’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences decked in a Hawaiian wreath (quite possibly an ode to her father’s heritage) to become the second of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s children to receive a college degree. She wore her hair in flowy curls with bronze highlights, which kissed right below her shoulders. Her sister Malia Obama graduated with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard in 2020.
The Obamas were there to attend the ceremony on a sunny Friday afternoon. Despite being flanked by Secret Service agents, the family made an effort to greet graduates and attendees. The former commander-in-chief wore a tailored gray suit with a white buttoned-down shirt while holding a beverage. The Becoming author wore a black sleeveless dress that ombre’d into navy blue ruffles. Malia also stole the show in her nude-colored knee-length dress and heels. All three looked as ravishing as ever in black-tinted sunglasses.
Shortly after Sasha accepted her degree on stage, the Obamas left the ceremony. Sasha originally attended the University of Michigan but transferred to USC in 2022. She was only seven when her father was elected 44th president of the United States in 2008. Today, the blossoming beauty is well on her way to making a change in the world just as her family did all those years ago.
During a recent appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America, Michelle said that the best part of getting older was watching her children grow. She shared that when she and Barack celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary, Malia and Sasha invited their parents over for “weak martinis” at their Los Angeles apartment, which they both share.
“They had invited us over before dinner to have cocktails at their apartment and they had prepared a charcuterie tray and tried to make two very weak martinis,” she recalled. “They realized they didn’t have any of the ingredients, but they were trying to, they were hosting us. And it’s just fun, watching them become themselves.”
No matter how old her daughters get, though, she says they will always be her babies.
“And so, you think about crazy things you want to make sure you tell them. It’s like, ‘Remember, don’t walk alone at night.’ Barack sent them an email about earthquake preparedness because they’re living in California. He’s a big article sender, and we all just read ’em and laugh.”
She ended: “But yeah, it feels good to know that the two girls you raised find solace at a kitchen table with one another. It’s like the one thing you want for them.”
Congratulations, Sasha!
