Only 10 years old when her father and leader of the free world, President Obama entered office, Malia Obama's graduation from the private Sidwell Friends school in Washington marks a milestone for the first family.
"I'm going to be sitting there with dark glasses, sobbing," the President told TV host Ellen DeGeneres earlier in 2016. "She's one of my best friends. And it's going to be hard for me not to have her around all the time. But she's ready to go. You can tell. She's just a really smart, capable person and she's ready to make her own way."
Malia was accepted to Harvard and began attending the prestigious university in 2017 after taking a gap year. Obama joked recently he wasn't likely to have much of a say.
You May Also Like
"She already doesn't listen to me, whatever I say," he told a questioner in Ho Chi Minh City who asked if Malia might travel there during her gap year. "You want her to come to Vietnam, I shouldn't be the one to tell her."
But even with all of that, the President and his daughters pride themselves on having a close bond, even amongst his intense schedule of presidential travel and meetings.
Obama made a point in his presidency of dining with his family at night in the White House residence, returning to work in the Oval Office afterward if necessary.
Now, 21, Malia is growing into a beautiful woman, carving out her own name for herself. Let's take a look back at her journey:
You May Also Like
