Baltimore (WJZ) — This weekend many students, staff and alumni of the University of Maryland in Baltimore County were surprised to see former First Lady Michelle Obama wearing a UMBC shirt on College Signing Day.
“I was immediately shocked,” said new UMBC member Anna Jordan. “We are definitely growing at the national level. We are known for our diversity, our inclusive environment.”
In the caption accompanying her Facebook video, she wrote: “To celebrate our eighth annual #CollegeSigningDay, I wear a college shirt from UMBC, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Servicing Institution in Baltimore County, Maryland.”
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Michelle Obama started National College Signature Day in 2015 to promote education after high school.
“We were all so excited, but just so proud,” said Gina King, director of UMBC Undergraduate Admissions and Orientation. “Sure, when you ‘build the narrative,’ you can run a lot of marketing campaigns, but when it comes from an organic place like Michelle Obama, you can’t put a price tag on it.”
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2022 U.S. News and World Report UMBC has recently been named as one of the most innovative universities in the country and one of the top universities for undergraduate teaching.
The director of the university’s bookstore said sales could be attributed to Michelle Obama’s posts being busier than usual over the weekend.
“I spent the next few hours very dizzy, like ‘What do we do with this? Erin McGonigal said. “That definitely increased our sales a little bit. People are definitely excited.”
College Bound Foundation Chair Alicia Wilson, a UMBC alumnus, previously worked with members of Michelle Obama’s team on work in the Baltimore area. She had long been hoping that the former first lady would wear UMBC gear for College Signing Day.
“I think it says how wise Mrs. Obama is that she chose to elevate UMBC in this way,” Wilson said. “There are people outside of Baltimore who recognize the greatness here. This should make all of us feel proud.”
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