In 1997, she seemed to be proud of all the students who volunteered when she was Director of the University Community Service Center at the University of Chicago.
Volunteerism thriving among students
Michelle Obama says that the state of volunteerism on campus, always a significant part of overall student activities, is more than thriving -- it is happily developing beyond expectations."It is not just that there are more volunteer organizations on campus than ever before, which in itself is a cause for celebration," said Obama, "it is also that there is a more general awareness among students about the importance of volunteering."... it is clear that more community service groups currently exist on campus than ever before."
Michelle Obama, the wife of the Senator, is a bright and talented woman. Perhaps she was unlucky to go to Princeton University and Harvard Law School, because she has now become deeply cynical about this country. That's not surprising, because our top universities teach their students to be cynical. They think it's terribly, terribly sophisticated. All their friends are cynical. Worse than that, they think their cynicism is true.
So Mrs. Obama can say things like ""for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country." She means it. She believes it. But she utterly lacks a mature perspective on that question.