Melania Trump has visited the suburbs of Detroit this Monday to speak to middle school students, and to participate in the “No One Eats Alone” anti-bullying event taking place across the state of Michigan.
The trip comes in the midst of National Bullying Prevention Month, kicking off the “Week of Inclusion” across the United States.
At the event, the First Lady said: “I encourage you to find a new friend and eat with your new friend… ask them what they like, what their hobbies are so nobody becomes sad or stressed and everybody feels included.”
She also noted that many of the cafeteria tables were filled with either all boys or all girls, and encourages the students to branch out.
The trip was related to FLOTUS’s campaign promise to devote time to curbing bullying. She was accompanied by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The pair also visited the sixth-grade classroom of teacher Susie Aisner, who runs a twice-weekly “Viking Huddle” program that gets students to focus on social-emotional learning.
Melania also said during the visit: “I think it’s important that we choose kindness and compassion.
“I always believe that you need to treat each other with respect and kindness and compassion, but also stay true to yourself… just listen to your heart, but be yourself.
“As adults, many of us are able to handle mean words – even lies. Children and teenagers can be fragile… they hurt when they are made fun of or made to feel less in looks or intelligence. This makes their life hard and forces them to hide and retreat… our culture has gotten too mean and too rough especially to children and to teenagers.”
FLOTUS also spoke of leadership, integrity, and mindfulness during her visit. Her final message was that adults need to teach children to be great stewards of the world they will inherit.
Source: Daily Mail