Mrs. Obama spoke Tuesday to about 250 employees of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the latest stop on her listening tour of the federal bureaucracy.
The deaths of her father and a close friend made her realize that she needed a change in direction, she said, and led her to quit her job at a law firm and choose a career in public service. She helped to establish Chicago's chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps community service program that trained young people for jobs in the nonprofit world.
Although the first lady worked at Public Allies until 1996, her most recent position was as executive vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, a job with a six-figure salary.
"National and community service is near and dear to my heart," the first lady said.
"There is nothing more fulfilling," she said. "It's an opportunity to put your faith into action in a way that regular jobs don't allow." MSNBC
Michelle Obama's remarks start at 4:08:
