'You can’t just walk away': First Lady Michelle Obama tells Zendaya she'll spend the rest of her life fighting for worldwide education for girls during her interview with the star

  • The 20-year-old's interview with the First Lady is featured in the December issue of Teen Vogue
  • Mrs. Obama spoke of her plans for her government initiative, Let Girls Learn, which aims to provide girls worldwide quality education 
  • The 52-year-old said she was a devoted student who used to get up at '4 or 5 in the morning to study'

Zendaya Coleman and Michelle Obama share a passion for education, and the new issue of Teen Vogue features the star's inspiring conversation with the First Lady about the importance of empowering girls around the world with knowledge. 

The 20-year-old, who insists she would be a teacher if she wasn't in the entertainment industry, had an opportunity to interview Mrs. Obama about her government initiative, Let Girls Learn, which addresses the challenges preventing young women from attaining quality education.

'I see myself — and my daughters — in these girls. Once you get to know them, you can’t just walk away. I plan on working on this issue for the rest of my life,' she told Zendaya of her plans for the initiative after she leaves the White House in January. 

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As she posed in a figure-hugging dress during a photoshoot for the latest edition of Vogue, the 52-year-old said: ‘Well I know I look cute because this dress is smokin’!’

Future plans: Zendaya Coleman interviewed Michelle Obama about her government initiative, Let Girls Learn, which aims to provide girls around the world quality education

Passion for education: Zendaya, who is pictured with recording artists Halle and Chloe Bailey, said she would be a teacher if she wasn't in the entertainment industry 

Zendaya said she was immediately taken with Mrs. Obama when she first met her in 2011, and when the First Lady reached to her to be a part of the 'This Is for My Girls' track to support Let Girls Learn, the singer jumped at the opportunity.

Unsurprisingly, Mrs. Obama told Zendaya that she was dedicated to her schooling, but despite her passion for learning people still doubted her.

'I was an incredibly devoted student, and I would often wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning to study,' she said. 'But even so, there were still people who thought that a girl like me with a background like mine wasn’t really "college material". 

Mrs. Obama said the issue of education has always been personal for her because she 'grew up in a working-class neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago', where most people didn't have college degrees. 

Public service: Mrs. Obama recently traveled to several countries, including Liberia, to promote education rights for girls

Giving back: 'With a lot of hard work — and a lot of financial aid — I had the chance to attend Princeton and Harvard Law School,' Mrs. Obama said of her college experience 

The Illinois-native said she looked up to her parents growing up, and even though they didn't go to college, they worked hard to send her and her brother Craig there.

Although her father didn't make a lot of money working as a pump operator at the city water plant, she said he was determined to 'to pay whatever tiny part' he owed for her tuition, hardly ever missing a day of work despite having multiple sclerosis.  

'With a lot of hard work — and a lot of financial aid — I had the chance to attend Princeton and Harvard Law School, and that gave me the confidence to pursue my ambitions,' she explained.

Using her voice: Mrs. Obama is pictured speaking at a rally for Hillary Clinton the night before the presidential election 

Personal cause: Zendaya, who is pictured CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards earlier this week, said she watched her mom teach at inner-city schools that were always underfunded 

When it comes to providing quality education for girls across the globe, Mrs. Obama said the issue sometimes has to do with a lack of resources, but she noted that the problem is often attitude.   

'It’s about whether women are viewed as second-class citizens or as full human beings entitled to the same rights and opportunities as men,' she said. 

Mrs. Obama recently traveled to several countries, including Liberia, to promote education rights for girls, and she said that the girls she met along the way are waking up before dawn to work to help support their families before they head to school. 

'At school, they are thoroughly engaged and determined to learn as much as they can,' she said. 'They dream of being engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and doctors—the same kind of dreams girls have here in the U.S.'  

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