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Reach Higher\u00a0hosted the fifth annual Beating the Odds Summit\u00a0Tuesday to support first-generation college-bound students.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter how much you may front, there is a part of you that is wondering whether this was a mistake and whether I belong and whether I can do this. Can I go on this campus or start this program? Am I really worthy of it? Those were the messages I had going on in my head and they still come up in life,\u201d former First Lady Michelle said.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026But here\u2019s my one big message. This is not a mistake. You are here because you are more than capable of doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Beating the Odds was first celebrated in 2014 at the White House and has continued each summer.<\/p>\n
The 2019 event took place at Howard University in Washington, DC, with more than 50 first-generation college students selected by local nonprofits. Obama was joined by Wes Moore from the Robin Hood Foundation,\u00a0Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles, and first-generation college students Ariel Ventura-Lazo and Rachel Scott.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI am so proud of everyone I met today at the #BeatingTheOdds Summit with @reachhigher2020. To anyone out there who feels like the world is stacked against them, know that I’m rooting for you to succeed and reach your full potential.” -Michelle Obama<\/a><\/p>\n
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