Michelle Obama surprises DC students at College Signing Day celebration

Former first lady Michelle Obama surprised high school students Tuesday at the College Signing Day event at Capital One Arena, where thousands of D.C. seniors celebrated the end of high school and the beginning of their college careers.

They were expecting to see D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

“There is a big world out there waiting for you to be a leader in it,” she told them.

But they did not expect Obama.

“We need your vision,” she told them. “We need your energy, we need your ideas, we need your perspectives to help us to continue to build a more just and equal nation and world, at this point.”

Obama started College Signing Day 10 years ago to shine a light on the importance of academic success and a college education.

Washington Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, who chairs the DC College Access Program that provides college scholarships, opened up the arena for the event and began by thanking teachers and parents.

“Stand up,” he said. “Let them know how much you appreciate their work.”

One of the seniors in the crowd, Khaliq Keeta, said he plans to be the first in his family to earn a college diploma.

“A lot of people might not say this, but I'm most excited to finish college, you know,” he said. “I just want to — not get everything done with — but start my life, basically.”

Another college-bound senior at the event, Lynni Thomas, who has been on her own her entire senior year due to family issues, is also the battalion commander of her ROTC.

“I don't want to be a victim of my past or my circumstances,” she said. “I want to be better than I see everybody else around me, so that kind of pushed me towards moving forward and getting my grades up, because I don't want to stay in D.C. forever.”

While Keeta was awarded an academic scholarship, Thomas is still trying to figure out how she’ll pay for her education.