President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks during the Morehouse College 129th Commencement ceremony, May 19, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

by Darlene Superville
ATLANTA (AP) — President Barack Obama, in a soaring commencement address on work, sacrifice and opportunity, on Sunday told graduates of historically Black Morehouse College to seize the power of their example as Black men graduating from college and use it to improve people's lives.

JULIA JORDAN-ZACHERY, DIRECTOR OF BLACK STUDIES

by Erika Niedowski

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A group of students and faculty at Providence College is asking the school to take steps to combat what it calls a pattern of racial profiling of minority students on campus and a hostile climate.

First lady Michelle Obama hugs Jenika Headley-Greene as Obama hands out diplomas during the graduation ceremony for Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet High School, May 18, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

by Erik Schelzig

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama has some advice for some Tennessee high school graduates: Strike your own path in college and life and work to overcome inevitable failures with determination and grit.

Mrs. Obama spoke for 22 minutes to the graduates of Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet High School on Saturday in her only high school commencement address this year. The ceremony took place in the gymnasium of nearby Tennessee State University.

The first lady told the 170 graduates that she spent too much of her own time in college focusing on academic achievements. While her success in college and law school led to a high-profile job, she said, she ended up leaving to focus on public service.

"My message to all of you today is this: Do not waste a minute living someone else's dream," she said. "It takes a lot of real work to discover what brings you joy ... and you won't find what you love simply by checking boxes or padding your GPA."

Mrs. Obama lauded the school — it's on the site of one of the city's first to educate African-Americans — for its graduation rate, spirit of volunteerism and healthy food programs. She noted that each graduate was going on to either higher education or the military.

She said MLK reminded her of her own high school experience in Chicago.

"My No. 1 goal was to go to a high school that would push me and challenge me," she said. "I wanted to go somewhere that would celebrate achievement. A place where academic success wouldn't make me a target of teasing or bullying, but instead would be a badge of honor."

But Mrs. Obama lamented that not all students have the same opportunities.

"Unfortunately, schools like this don't exist for every kid," she said. "You are blessed."

The first lady told graduates that failure may be a part of their college lives and careers, and that how they respond to any pitfalls will define them.

"That's when you find out what you're really made of in those hard times," she said. "But you can only do that if you're willing to put yourself in a position where you might fail."

Overcoming adversity has been the hallmark of many great people, she said.

"Oprah was demoted from her first job as a news anchor, and now she doesn't even need a last name," she said of media giant Oprah Winfrey. "And then there's this guy Barack Obama ... he lost his first race for Congress, and now he gets to call himself my husband."

Mrs. Obama later presented graduate diplomas on stage and posed for photos with graduates.

"We didn't know we would get to hug her," said graduate Natey Kinzounza, 18. "She's got a great sense of humor. She's like my mom, she's just a very real person."

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First lady Michelle Obama, left, delivers a commencement speech at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky., May 11, as Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, right, and university president Dr. Charles D. Whitlock look on. (AP Photo/James Crisp)

by Bruce Schreiner
RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama urged Eastern Kentucky University graduates on Saturday night to reach out to people with different political beliefs, saying the country would benefit from the conversations.

"If you're a Democrat, spend some time talking to a Republican," Mrs. Obama told about 600 graduates in caps and gowns. "And if you're a Republican, have a chat with a Democrat. Maybe you'll find some common ground, maybe you won't."

The first lady suggested that they visit senior centers to benefit from the experiences of people with plenty of "life experience under their belts." She also pointed them to religious congregations different than their own, saying they might hear something in a sermon "that stays with you." And she predicted they would learn something if they reached out "with an open mind and an open heart."

"And goodness knows, we need more of that," she said. "Because we know what happens when we only talk to people who think like we do. We just get stuck in our ways."

The first lady received thunderous applause from several thousand people attending the ceremony in a state that voted overwhelmingly against her husband, President Barack Obama, in his two successful runs for the White House.

She exhorted the graduates to apply the same resilience and work ethic they showed in school to their lives beyond campus to cope with life's ups-and-downs.

"How are you going to respond when you don't get that job you had your heart set on?" she said.

To the soon-to-be teachers in the crowd, she urged fortitude when their students don't respond to their lessons — and urged the same fortitude for the business students when their bosses pile work on them.

Those are the times that will "force you to claw and scratch and fight" to endure, she said.

The White House said the first lady was drawn to EKU as part of her initiative to support veterans and military families. EKU has gained national recognition for its efforts to help veterans advance their education, including its Veterans Success Center, which provides one-stop-assistance for advising, counseling and job placement services.

A campus group took potshots at Obama administration policies ahead of Mrs. Obama's visit, handing out fliers bemoaning the challenging job prospects for the new graduates.

"Good luck landing your first job," said the flier from the EKU chapter of Young Americans for Liberty. "Only 47 percent of you will be able to find a job in your preferred field, so I hope you're still on good terms with your parents."