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Now that President Obama's time in office is in the rearview mirror, daughters Malia
and Sasha are making headlines of their own.
Let's consider where they'll be in 10 years — long after moving out of the White House!
A future in showbiz
It's no secret that Malia is interested in pursuing a career in Hollywood, and she's
got a pretty good head start, having already interned on both Halle Berry's TV series Extant
and Lena Dunham's Girls.
The showbiz bug must have stuck, because Malia is also going to be spending her gap year,
pre-Harvard, interning for legendary Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
There's no official word on what her duties will be, but something tells us she won't
be fetching lattes.
We also feel pretty confident saying that Malia's continued interest in showbiz is a
strong indication of the direction she'd like to take in her life.
After all, Harvard does have somewhat of a legacy when it comes to educating the strong-willed
women of Tinseltown, including Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman.
Move over, Shonda Rhimes, here comes Malialand!
Nothing but net
Everyone knows Barack has a passion for basketball, and he's passed that love on to his daughters.
He even famously coached Sasha's team, The Vipers, telling ABC News that Sasha loves
practicing those three-pointers.
Malia is no slouch, either, earning a place on her varsity tennis squad at age 14.
According to the New York Times, both girls complied with their mom's rule to to play
one sport of their choice and one that she would pick for them, in order to "understand
what it feels like to do something you don't like, and to improve."
With that kind of success-coaching at home, it wouldn't be surprising if either of the
girls decided to go pro.
Of course, these days the real money in women's pro basketball is made in Russia, with some
American stars even becoming Russian citizens and playing for the Russian national team.
Imagine the media hoopla if Sasha became starting point guard for the Russian Olympic squad
in 2026!
Girlboss diplomats
While neither sister has expressed much interest in following their father into politics, it's
clear they both have the aptitude.
During the Obamas' historic visit to Cuba in 2016, Malia acted as a personal translator
for her dad because her Spanish language skills were better than his.
And don't forget the time when a then-nine-year-old Sasha asked to quote "practice her Chinese"
unquote with then-president of China, Hu Jintao, when he visited the White House in 2011.
Due to the powerful combination of sharp linguistic skills and ease around world leaders, it's
easy to imagine Malia or Sasha one day helping to forge closer diplomatic ties with other
nations.
Laying down tracks
Music has been a part of Barack's presidency since Beyoncé belted out the Etta James classic,
"At Last," during his 2009 inauguration.
Since then, the White House has basically been a revolving door of the most influential
artists and entertainers of our time, and the girls have undoubtedly been influenced
by their rendezvous with such talent.
In 2015, Malia went viral with an Instagram post in which she appeared wearing a t-shirt
featuring Pro Era, who is, according to Mic, "a promising Brooklyn hip-hop collective,
made up of around 47 young members— MCs, producers and promoters."
In an instant, both her underground music cred and the collective's public profile skyrocketed.
As for Sasha, her interest in music translated early into dance classes, but she went viral
herself when she was caught lip-syncing to Chance the Rapper's performance at the 94th
annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
If she's got the voice to back that up, she could be America's next pop star!
There's nothing the music world loves more than a songwriting star like Adele, Sia, or
Lady Gaga.
Is it such a stretch to imagine a Sasha-world-tour ten years from now?
Our apologies to Beyoncé, but that would be truly fierce.
Lawyer up
Malia's enrollment at Harvard University may seem like a legacy move — both Barack and
Michelle Obama graduated from the prestigious law school — but her parents completed their
undergraduate degrees at different schools.
Barack earned his degree in political science from Columbia University, and Michelle graduated
from Princeton with a B.A. in Sociology.
Malia's choice of Harvard for her bachelor's degree doesn't mean she's ruled out law school.
A law degree is a good foundation for all sorts of jobs, including President of the
United States.
Could her stint at Harvard be the first step towards a run at the White House in, let's
say, 2046?
Firing up the fashion
As one of the most visible and prominent women in America, Michelle has been a leader in
fashion trends throughout her husband's campaign and presidency.
The $628 Narcisco Rodriguez dress she wore to the 2016 state of the union address sold
out in 20 minutes online.
And both daughters have followed suit, wowing critics with their style at public events
at home and abroad.
Sasha, in particular, has undergone a "style evolution" that InStyle described as shifting
from "adorable" and "whimsical" to "on trend."
The mag noted the look she rocked at the 2015 "official pardoning" of the White House Thanksgiving
turkey.
She was even snapped sporting stylish black henna tattoos on both hands following an international
trip to Liberia, Morocco, and Spain.
Ten years from now it's easy to imagine Sasha throwing her hat into high fashion, not just
with what she wears, but possibly what she's designing.
Rocking those NGOs
Barack announced that he believes he and Michelle will still be capable of making strides in
the fields of climate change, conservation, criminal justice reform, livable wages, and
healthcare after he leaves office, proving that the family's political aspirations are
still intact.
Some suggest the creation of Obama.org is a strong indicator that the former FLOTUS
and POTUS are setting up shop in the world of non-governmental organizations, or NGOs,
in order to exert influence beyond the Beltway.
It's no stretch to imagine Malia or Sasha working for or heading up an organization
that falls under their parents' philanthropic umbrella.
Former first daughters Barbara Bush and Chelsea Clinton have both followed this route.
In fact, Malia has already quietly started to make her activist presence known.
In 2017, actress and activist Shailene Woodley gave Malia props for showing up to the Standing
Rock protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline:
"It was incredible to see her there…Also
"President Obama's daughter."
"President Obama's daughter."
"Also also to witness a human being and a woman coming into her own outside of her family."
Using their voices
Sasha and Malia have accompanied their parents on countless international trips.
Whether traveling to South Africa with their mom and meeting Nelson Mandela, or sharing
in the family's landmark visit to Cuba, the girls have received a world perspective unique
only to them.
It's the kind of journalistic preparation that only travel can provide, but the Obamas
also gave the girls a leg up, should they want to become the next Christiane Amanpour.
According to The New York Times, Sasha and Malia were required to "write reports on what
they have seen even if their school does not require it."
With that much practice, combined with access to a professional press corps who traveled
with them everywhere they went, Sasha and Malia essentially received a master class
in journalism for eight straight years.
We'd love to see them reporting on breaking stories from the field or anchoring a major
broadcast.
And who knows?
Maybe they can even sort out this whole "fake news" thing!
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