When it comes to giving our kids the education they deserve, Barack knows that like me and like so many of you, he never could've attended college without financial aid.

And believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage.

We were so young, so in love, and so in debt.

That's why Barack has fought so hard to increase student aid and keep interest rates down, because he wants every young person to fulfill their promise and be able to attend college without a mountain of debt.

So in the end, for Barack, these issues aren't political -- they're personal.

Because Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.

He knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids.

Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it... and he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we're from, or what we look like, or who we love.

And he believes that when you've worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity... you do not slam it shut behind you...you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.

So when people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that when it comes to his character, and his convictions, and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago.

He's the same man who started his career by turning down high paying jobs and instead working in struggling neighborhoods where a steel plant had shut down, fighting to rebuild those communities and get folks back to work... because for Barack, success isn't about how much money you make, it's about the difference you make in people's lives.

He's the same man who, when our girls were first born, would anxiously check their cribs every few minutes to ensure they were still breathing, proudly showing them off to everyone we knew.

That's the man who sits down with me and our girls for dinner nearly every night, patiently answering their questions about issues in the news, and strategizing about middle school friendships.

That's the man I see in those quiet moments late at night, hunched over his desk, poring over the letters people have sent him.

The letter from the father struggling to pay his bills... from the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company won't cover her care... from the young person with so much promise but so few opportunities.

I see the concern in his eyes... and I hear the determination in his voice as he tells me, "You won't believe what these folks are going through, Michelle... it's not right. We've got to keep working to fix this. We've got so much more to do."

I see how those stories -- our collection of struggles and hopes and dreams -- I see how that's what drives Barack Obama every single day.

关于给予我们的孩子应有的教育，巴拉克知道，就像我和你们中的许多人一样，如果没有助学金，他永远也不可能完成大学学业。

而且，不管你们信不信，我们刚结婚的时候，我们的学生贷款账单合起来比我们的房贷还要高。

我们是那么年轻，那么相爱，又是那样的负债累累。

这就是为什么巴拉克努力增加助学金，并保持低贷款利率的原因，因为他想让每个年轻人都能达成所愿，而不需要为了进入大学而背负山一样沉重的债务。

所以归根结底，对巴拉克来说，这些并非政治问题——而是个人问题。

因为巴拉克知道一个家庭挣扎度日意味着什么。

他知道想要让下一代和下下一代过上更好的生活意味着什么。

巴拉克懂得什么是美国梦，因为他正用一生去实践它……而他想让生活在这个国度里的每一个人都拥有同样的机会，无论我们是谁，无论我们从哪里来，无论我们肤貌如何，无论我们爱的对象。

而且他认为，当你努力工作，获得成功，并且跨越了那扇机遇的大门之后……你不应该砰地一声关上身后的大门……你应该伸出援助之手，将成功的机会同样给予后来之人。

因此，当人们问我，入主白宫是否改变了我的丈夫的时候，我可以诚实地说，无论是从他的性格，他的信念，他的心灵来看，巴拉克·奥巴马都仍是许多年前我所爱上的那个男人。

他仍是那样一个人，会在自己的事业起步期拒绝高薪工作，而走入一个因钢铁厂的倒闭而陷入困境的社区，为社区的重建和人们重获工作而奋斗……因为对巴拉克来说，成功并不等于你挣的钱，而是你给人们的生活带来的改变。

他仍是那样一个人，当我们的女儿刚出生的时候，隔不了几分钟就急匆匆地查看摇篮，确认她们仍在好好呼吸，并骄傲地向我们认识的每个人展示自己的宝贝女儿。

他还是那个几乎每晚都会坐下来陪我和女儿们吃晚餐，耐心地回答她们关于新闻事件的问题，并为中学生间的友谊问题出谋划策的人。

他还是那个，我常常看到在万籁俱寂的深夜里，仍趴在书桌上钻研人们寄来的信件的人。

写信来的有努力工作支付账单的父亲……有保险公司拒绝赔付医疗费用而命在旦夕的癌症女病人……有具有无限天赋潜力却得不到机会的年轻人。

我能看到他眼里的忧虑……我也能听出他声音中的决心，他说：“你不会相信这些人们在经历些什么，米歇尔……这不对。我们必须继续工作，直到解决这些问题。我们还有更多事情要做。”

我看到人们的这些生活故事——我们所收集的这些奋斗、希望和梦想——我看到这些都是推动巴拉克·奥巴马每一天工作的动力。