Going through your first year of anything can be tough, and the freshman year of college is no different. But former first lady Michelle Obama said if students can see others go through the challenges of starting college life, it can only help.
That’s why she launched a new series on IGTV titled “A Year of Firsts” that will document the experiences of four college students as they go through their freshman year.
The Instagram series is being produced by “issues-driven media company” ATTN and will begin in mid-January. It’ll then run for six episodes on the social media platform before it wraps up in June.
Obama shared a trailer of the series Tuesday on Instagram, and it’ll be an extension of “Reach Higher,” her initiative ”to help students get to and through college.”
“Each of them has overcome tremendous odds to get where they are,” said the “Becoming” author about the four first-year students. “And throughout the year, they’ll tell us what that first year of college is really like. The ups, the downs and everything in between.”
The IGTV series follows the former first lady and her husband Barack Obama inking a deal with Netflix to create a “diverse mix of content” for the streaming company.
And their first project under the deal is “American Factory,” a documentary that showed the struggles of Ohio workers when a Chinese company reopened a U.S. factory.
With “Year of Firsts,” Michelle Obama said she fully relates to the students in the series, as well as other young people who walk onto a college campus for the first time.
“As a first-generation college student myself, I know how intimidating it can be to take that leap and pursue your educational dreams,” she said in a statement. “That’s why I’m so proud of these students.”
“By sharing their stories, they’re helping others see that the ups and downs of the first year of college are something everyone goes through, and they’re creating a supportive community for others facing similar challenges,” added Obama.
