Michelle Obama Instagram – Today on the #InternationalDayofEducation, I am celebrating girls like 13-year-old Esther from Uganda, who’s working hard to achieve her big dreams—no matter what challenges life throws her way. Esther is a part of @GirlUpUganda, an educational initiative the @GirlsOpportunityAlliance is working to support through our #GetHerThere campaign. Esther dreams of becoming a psychologist one day to help people in her community live happy and healthy lives—and more than that, she hopes to be a good friend and mentor to others in need of a hand on their own journeys. Whenever I hear stories like hers, I am reminded about how much talent, potential, and resilience girls hold in their hearts, whether in Uganda, Afghanistan, Ukraine, or here in the United States. And it’s why I’ll never stop working to support global girls education, which in many ways has been set back not only because of the pandemic, but also because of war and uncertainty across the world. So, Esther, I want you to know that I am proud of you and that I am rooting for you, the girls in your program, and the girls around the world who are working to break down barriers to their success. You deserve everything you dream of, and I can’t wait to watch the ways you shape our world for the better in the years ahead.