Global Leadership Academy Southwest students learn about Obama's legacy at presidential center

A visit to the newly opened Obama Presidential Center gave 10 eighth graders from Global Leadership Academy Southwest a chance to learn about presidential history and to think about what those lessons could mean in their own lives.

For 13-year-old Ziyonna Royster-Morris, one of the biggest takeaways was seeing former President Barack Obama as more than a figure in a history book.

"He wasn't just a president, but he definitely interacted with his community overall," Royster-Morris said. "I saw the way he interacted with his children. I also saw the way First Lady Obama interacted with the world herself."

Thursday, the students traveled to Chicago for a two-day educational trip sponsored by the Alice Harris Foundation, visiting the Obama Presidential Center just three months after it opened.

Global Leadership Academy Southwest Principal Dr. Zenobia Story said one of the central conversations during the trip focused on the significance of Obama becoming the nation's first Black president.

"What we really mainly focused on is the connection of the importance of this opportunity, of Barack Obama being the 44th president and the first African American president," Story said. "What does that mean to you all, as African American children?"

For Royster-Morris, the answer was representation.

"Having the first African American president is very important to learn about, as us African Americans need representation everywhere," she said, calling Obama's presidency "an extreme step in our history."

Royster-Morris was not yet born when Obama first took office.

"I was definitely expecting to learn about Obama's presidential legacy, and I was really excited to learn about that," she said.

She also said she connected with former first lady Michelle Obama's story, including the way Obama has discussed fashion as a form of communication in her book, "The Look."

"I came to the understanding that she used fashion to connect with the world, and I think that's a really beautiful thing," Royster-Morris said. "I love fashion."

The Obama Presidential Center campus on Chicago's South Side includes a museum, a Chicago Public Library branch, public art and community spaces centered on the Obamas' legacy and themes of civic engagement.

The Alice Harris Foundation funded the students' travel and other trip expenses as part of an educational experience focused on leadership, civic engagement, public service and learning beyond the classroom.

Story said seeing her students make those connections had an impact on her, too.

"It really reminded me that we can still have hope even in these tough times," she said.