Staff Report 
First Lady Michelle Obama will speak to North Carolina students today on the campuses of North Carolina Central University and East Carolina University. This will be Obama’s second time traveling to the Tar-heel state during the month of September, as she was here earlier in the month for the 2012 Democratic National Convention held in Charlotte.
NCCU and ECU students began waiting in line Monday morning to get their free tickets to hear the first lady speak. Tickets were not distributed until 11:00 a.m. on Monday morning at ECU, but by 9:00 a.m. a long line had already formed.
For Tobi Olofintuyi, a senior at ECU double-majoring in marketing and merchandising, the opportunity to hear Mrs. Obama speak live for the second time in one year is surreal. “I heard the First Lady speak at NC A&T’s graduation earlier this year and the message she delivered there has motivated me to be a better student and reminds me that my dreams are accessible.”
Olofintuyi, who also works for the Athletics Operation Department at ECU has noticed an almost tangible excitement in the air, as the University prepares for Obama’s visit. “A lot of students are planning on missing class to hear Mrs. Obama speak, and the professors are all pretty understanding. The campus is extremely excited. Barack Obama was here in 2008, and now to have a visit from Michelle is amazing.”
Security at both events will be tight, with ECU students reporting to have seen secret service agents, “casing out the area,” in the days leading up to the event.
Obama is expected to speak to students about the importance of voter registration, encouraging students to register to vote with the website Gottavote.com.
