Lafayette student and Scholastic Kid Reporter Zhoriél Tapo received the opportunity to interview former first lady Michelle Obama.
Tapo tells KATC she interviewed Obama as part of a round table discussion with other reporters and bloggers to discuss her new Netflix show "Waffles + Mochi." Tapo had a week to prepare for the interview which was done on March 10.
The kid reporter said it was a “dream come true” to speak with Obama, who’s one of her personal role models.
"She's still making a difference outside of the white house. She could sit down and watch the world spin but instead she's helping make it spin around and around" Tapo said.
Zhoriél said Obama is an inspiration to her as the first Black first lady in U.S. history, and as a woman who continues to strive for success and improvement. She said representation matters and seeing Obama enter new spaces as a Black woman makes her feel like she, and all other Black girls, can do it too, Tapo said in an interview with The Advocate.
“She was a poised woman, like I always thought. That was the same image that I thought she would be — a really nice, pretty, classy and friendly woman,” she said.
Tapo is a a sixth-grader at L.J. Alleman Fine Arts Magnet Academy. She was selected as a Scholastic Kid Reporter in 2019.
"As being a kid reporter, it helped me with a lot of my skills that I do in school. Researching, writing, not so much interviewing, but asking my teachers questions" Tapo said.
Read more on Tapo's interview with Obama here from The Advocate.
According to Netflix, the show follows curious puppet pals Waffles and Mochi as they travel the world exploring the wonders of food and culture while learning how to cook with fresh ingredients. Obama is also featured in the program.
Scholastic is accepting applications for Kid Reporters,learn how to apply here.
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