Where The Obama Sisters Will Be In 10 Years
Now that President Barack Obama's final term has come to a close, daughters Malia and Sasha are making headlines of their own. Let's consider where they'll be in 10 years when the White House is in their distant past?
Making movies
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 HBO hit Girls. The entertainment bug must have stuck because Malia is also going to be spending her gap year—a one-year deferment of her entrance to Harvard University—interning for legendary Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, according to Page Six.
There's no official word on what her duties will be, but something tells us the daughter of a former president isn't going to 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, Natalie Portman, and more. So, don't be surprised if ten years from now, you see Malia behind the camera making her own feature films or producing her own TV shows. Move over, Shonda Rhimes, here comes Malialand!
Playing professional basketball
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, and told ABC News that Sasha loves practicing her 3-pointers.
Malia is no slouch on the field of play, either, earning a place on her varsity tennis squad at age 14. Both girls reportedly took up two sports to comply with their mom's rule that they had to play one of their choice and one that she would choose for them, in order to "understand what it feels like to do something you don't like and to improve," according to The New York Times.
With that kind of success-coaching at home, it wouldn't be surprising if either girl took the game so seriously she decided to go pro. Of course, these days the real money in women's professional 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!
Forging diplomatic relations
While neither sister has expressed much interest in following their father into politics, it's clear they both have the aptitude. Case in point: on Barack's historic visit to Cuba in 2016, Malia acted as a personal translator for her dad because her Spanish language skills were superior to his.
And don't forget the time when a then-9-year-old Sasha had the gumption to ask to "practice her Chinese" with then-president of China, Hu Jintao, while he visited the White House for a state dinner in 2011, according to Reuters.
Due to their powerful combination of linguistic skills and ease around world leaders, it's easy to imagine Malia or Sasha one day helping the United States forge closer diplomatic ties with other nations as ambassadors or even high-ranking cabinet members.
Recording hit albums
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. It stands to reason that the girls have undoubtedly been influenced by their rendezvous with such talent. In fact, they've each had their own viral moments connected to the music industry, and we're not just talking about Malia's Lollapalooza kerfuffle.
In 2015, Malia went viral with an Instagram post in which she appeared wearing a t-shirt featuring Pro Era, "a promising Brooklyn hip-hop collective, made up of around 47 young members—MCs, producers and promoters," according to Mic. In an instant, both her underground music cred and the collective's public profile skyrocketed.
As for Sasha, her interest in music translated early on into dance classes (Remember when the fam attended her recital in 2013?) but she also had her own viral moment 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 a singing and dancing double threat. Could she be America's next pop star? There's nothing the music world loves more right now than a songwriting chanteuse 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.
Attending law school
Malia's enrollment at Harvard University may seem like a legacy move—both Barack and Michelle Obama graduated from the prestigious Harvard Law School—but her parents did complete 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. Keep in mind, a law degree is a good foundation for all sorts of jobs, including, of course, 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?
Inspiring new fashion trends
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 within 20 minutes online.
Both Malia and Sasha have followed suit, wowing critics with their fashion sense 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 fashion magazine noted the look she rocked at the 2015 "official pardoning" of the White House Thanksgiving turkey: "denim skirt, black tights, and black combat boots." She was even snapped sporting stylish black henna tattoos on both hands following an international trip to Liberia, Morocco, and Spain.
By all accounts, Sasha has a keen eye for couture, and this could just be the beginning. Ten years from now it's easy to imagine her pushing the envelope of fashion not just with what she wears, but what she's designing.
Becoming a celebrity chef
Barack and Michelle made it a point to try to give their girls the most normal life experience possible, despite being among the most famous kids on the planet. This manifested itself one summer in a part-time job for Sasha at a casual seafood joint called Nancy's Restaurant in Martha's Vineyard, a preferred vacation spot for the former first family. The Boston Herald published shots of the youngest Obama working the cash register and helping customer bring food to their cars.
In addition to her food service experience, Sasha has grown up eating meals prepared by five full-time White House chefs, which has undoubtedly helped her develop a sophisticated palate. Though it's hard to imagine the former leader of the free world's kid sweating it out on a short-order line, chefs have creativity at their core, which is an attribute Sasha clearly shares. Is it so hard to imagine her competing against Bobby Flay on Iron Chef, or opening her own trendy upscale eatery?
Married to a Jonas brother
This one is a bit of a stretch, but hear us out. Even before Barack's presidency began, the girls got to meet the Jonas brothers via a surprise Michelle arranged on Ellen. In behind-the-scenes video from the Democratic National Convention in August of 2008 (via HuffPost), then-candidate Barack alluded that then-10-year-old Malia had a crush on Nick Jonas, saying he even had a $5 bet with his eldest daughter that she wouldn't be able to remain chill around Nick, her favorite JoBro, if she ever got the chance to meet him. So, the girls' fascination with all things Jonas is well documented. They even got to meet all three Jonas brothers again during Barack's 2009 inauguration festivities.
At the time of this writing, there are still two Jonas boys on the market. Kevin has been married for years, but Joe and Nick are still doing the rockstar thing, punctuated by occasional romances with assorted starlets. With Malia making the move to Hollywood for her gap year, could the stars be aligning for the makings of a Jobama romance? A word of advice for Nick, however, if it does happen: Remember Barack's "joke" from the 2010 White House Correspondents Association Dinner? Keep your eyes on the sky, brother.
Working For NGOs
Barack announced that he believes he and Michelle will still be capable of affecting change in the fields of climate change, conservation, criminal justice reform, livable wages, and healthcare after he leaves office, so it's obvious 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 NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in order to exert influence beyond the Beltway.
If that is the case, 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. Not to mention, 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. Anyone else ready to watch the Obama girls fight the good fight?
Becoming award-winning journalists
Sasha and Malia have accompanied their parents on countless international trips. Whether traveling to South Africa with their mom and getting the chance to meet Nelson Mandela, or the family's landmark visit to Cuba after decades of stalled relations, the girls have received a world perspective unique only to them.
It's the kind of journalistic preparation that only travel can provide, but mom and pop Obama 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," after every trip they took, 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!