The eyes of 16-year-old Jacqueline Uy glistened as First Lady Michelle Obama pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear.
"She just told me to keep writing, and that her favorite thing to do was to write," said Uy, a member of WriteGirl, one of 12 after-school programs honored at the White House Nov. 22. "She told me to keep on dreaming, because someday I'll achieve my dreams and goals."
Read MoreWriteGirl was honored by First Lady Michelle Obama with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award
An initiative of the President’s Committee on the Arts & the Humanities (PCAH). The President’s Committee partners with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to administer the program.
WriteGirl is a creative writing and mentoring organization that promotes creativity, critical thinking and leadership skills to empower teen girls.
WriteGirl is a project of Community Partners, a nonprofit charity exempt from federal income tax under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
