Untitled Document
 Barack
Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii to a Kenyan father
and an American mother. Obama’s parents met while studying at the
University of Hawaii. Obama’s parents separated when he was 2 years
old. His father returned alone to Kenya, where he
worked as a government economist.
Obama spent his early years in Honolulu before moving to Indonesia
at the age of 6. His mother later married an Indonesian
and young Obama moved to Jakarta in 1967 with his mother and stepfather. Obama has a half-sister,
who now is a teacher and professor in Honolulu.
Obama stayed in Indonesia for 4 years, before returning to Honolulu
and living with his grandparents. His father wrote to him regularly. However, he visited
his son only once, when Obama was 10 years old.
 In Hawaii, he studied
at the Punahou School. Later, he studied at the Occidental College
in Los Angeles for 2 years before moving to Columbia University in
New York City. He studied Political Science and specialized
in International Relations there.
He graduated from Columbia University in 1983.
In 1988, Obama entered the Harvard Law School. There, he became the
first black editor of the Harvard Law
Review. He graduated from the law school in 1991. Obama met Michelle
Robinson in 1989, and they got married in 1992. The couple has two
daughters.
Obama held several positions professionally between 1993
and 2004. He worked as a lawyer for a law firm. He also worked
as a part-time lecturer at the
University of Chicago Law School from 1993 to 2004. Obama also served
as a board member at a charitable organization.
In 2004, Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, representing Illinois. He
gained national attention by giving a rousing and well-received keynote speech at the Democratic
National Convention in Boston. In 2008, he sought the Democratic nomination for
the U.S. Presidency.
 On November
4, 2008, Barack Obama won the 44th Presidency of the United States,
becoming the first African-American to win the victory. “This is your victory.
Change has come to America,” he said after winning the election. “The road ahead will be long. Our climb
will be steep. We may not get there in one year or
even in one term. But, America, I have
never been more hopeful than I am tonight
that we will get there. I promise you, we will get there!” |
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