--- description: Michelle Obama gave an emotional final speech as first lady on Friday, urging young Americans to remain hopeful. Read the full transcript title: Read What Michelle Obama Said in Her Final Remarks as First Lady image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee4667319e941bab/6988b49dcf40a8a434c45fdd/michelle-obama-final-remarks-transcript.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Read What Michelle Obama Said in Her Final Remarks as First Lady  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 6, 2017 6:31 PM CUT  First lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks during a ceremony honoring the 2017 School Counselor of the Year in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 6, 2017. First lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks during a ceremony honoring the 2017 School Counselor of the Year in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 6, 2017.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 6, 2017 6:31 PM CUT [Michelle Obama](http://motto.time.com/4607893/michelle-obama-melania-trump-help-oprah-interview/ "undefined") gave her [final remarks as First Lady](http://time.com/4626173/michelle-obama-hope-final-first-lady-remarks/ "undefined") on Friday, choking up as she urged young Americans to remain hopeful and engaged in the country’s future. “I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong, so don’t be afraid. You hear me? Young people, don’t be afraid. Be focused, be determined, be hopeful, be empowered,” Obama said at the White House, speaking at an event honoring the [2017 School Counselor of the Year](http://time.com/4624004/michelle-obama-final-remarks-school-counselor/ "undefined"). “Lead by example with hope, never fear, and know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life.” She called serving as First Lady “the greatest honor of my life.” Here are her full remarks: --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4626283/michelle-obama-final-remarks-transcript/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4626283/michelle-obama-final-remarks-transcript/"},"headline":"Read What Michelle Obama Said in Her Final Remarks as First Lady","datePublished":"2017-01-06T18:31:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:35:44.755Z","description":"\"I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong\"","url":"https://time.com/4626283/michelle-obama-final-remarks-transcript/","keywords":["White House","Michelle Obama","flotus","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee4667319e941bab/6988b49dcf40a8a434c45fdd/michelle-obama-final-remarks-transcript.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee4667319e941bab/6988b49dcf40a8a434c45fdd/michelle-obama-final-remarks-transcript.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Michelle Obama Delivers Final Speech At The White House","caption":"Michelle Obama Delivers Final Speech At The White House","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4626283/michelle-obama-final-remarks-transcript/","name":"Read What Michelle Obama Said in Her Final Remarks as First Lady"}}]}] ```