Obama drops in at WNBA event inspiring freshman girls at presidential center: ‘I want to make a change’

Fourteen-year-old London Harris has dreams of someday being president of the United States, and on Friday morning she got to see a former commander-in-chief up close.

Former president Barack Obama surprised London, along with nearly 100 other high school freshmen girls during the third annual WNBA Changemaker Day Friday morning at the recently opened Obama Presidential Center.

“It felt very surreal,” said London, a student at Dyett High School in Washington Park. “I was genuinely happy to see him and to listen to what he had to say.”

Obama popped into the center’s Elie Wiesel Auditorium just as a panel of speakers was discussing the power of perseverance.

“I know you’re all learning the power of perseverance, the power of resilience, the power of dreaming big, and this person,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told the crowd. “No one has inspired hundreds of millions of people around the world here in the United States.”

Obama then walked on stage to thunderous applause.

“Hello, everybody!” Obama exclaimed, wearing jeans and a white button-down shirt.

“Settle down now,” he said, smiling, as the crowd screamed.

“I wasn’t gonna let a bunch of amazing young athletes, scholars, hoopers, come through my spot without saying hello,” he said. “I’m not gonna start shaking hands yet because mayhem will break loose.”

He began by telling the girls how proud he was of them and then spoke of his own experiences from being a dad to two daughters.

“Malia is now 28, Sasha is 25, but I remember like it was yesterday when they were your age,” Obama said. “We live in a world that is a lot more complicated for you guys than it was in some ways when I was coming up. There’s so much pressure and noise and and sometimes I think – especially for girls and young women – there’s social attitudes that tell you that you need to be one kind of way.”

He then encouraged the girls that they were on the right track.

“You are going to do wonderful things, and you need to have the confidence and power that’s inside you and your capacity to, you know, live out your dreams. … You’re gonna have to work hard and it’s not going to be easy, but I’m confident it’s gonna happen.”

Obama joked with the girls about boys being “knuckleheads” and urged them to seek guidance from others.

“One of the most important things you can do as a young person is find people who are willing to help you,” Obama said.

“Find mentors. Find people who are doing the kinds of things you want to do and learn from them,” he added. “We only see the little fish bowl that we live in, but you know, it turns out there’s a whole big world out there full of possibilities. … The more you see out there that’s possible, the better off you’re going to be.”

Obama then joked about talking too long because he spots one of the girls “about to fall asleep.”

“I’m used to it, that’s what it’s like at the Obama dinner table.”

Obama shook hands with some of the girls as they screamed, then took a selfie with the crowd before leaving the stage.

Aliyah Myles, a student at Chicago Vocational Academy, grew up with Obama being a constant presence in her household. She described the former president as a huge influential figure for her mother.

Next time Aliyah talks to her mother, she’ll get to tell her she shook Obama’s hand.

“I was freaking out, I was turnt, I almost passed out,” Aliyah, 14, said. “I was everywhere.”

The event had kicked off just before 10 a.m. with comments from WNBA brand strategist Nina Kossoff. Friday’s gathering was among many events in Chicago this past week tied to the WNBA All-Star Game, being held Saturday at the United Center.

“We’re powerful on our own, but when we come together we can really make change,” Kossoff told the girls.

They also heard from a panel featuring Ari Chambers, an ESPN Journalist and commentator; Kizmet Mills, chief diversity officer at Nike; Linnae Harper, a former Chicago Sky player and now manager of athletics and sports leadership for the Obama Foundation; and Colie Edison, the WNBA’s chief growth officer.

It was the third WNBA Changemaker Day, and this year’s theme was “Finding My Superpower” — something each panelist touched on.

When I think about the word ‘superpower,’ the first thing that comes to mind is doing the impossible,” Harper said. “My personal superpower is connecting people with their resources, providing a pathway for them to reach their goals.”

Others on the panel spoke on helping others through basketball, leadership and community efforts. The panelists then dived into explaining how they bounced back from their setbacks.

The students had begun trickling into the auditorium about 9:30 a.m. Some of the girls conversed and laughed while they waited, while others danced in their seats to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling.”

In addition to Obama’s surprise appearance, students were inspired by the panelists to continue pursuing their dreams and rise through any adversity they face.

“This really inspired me to keep going, push everything, take time, be patient and just focus on my dreams and career,” said RaKaila Jefferson, 14.

For Aliyah, the event reinforced her aspirations to want to make an impact wherever she can.

“My goal is to make a change,” Aliyah said. “I want to be known somewhere around the world.”