President Obama visited Valencia College–West Campus on Thursday, March 20, 2014 to discuss his plan to expand economic opportunity for women and working families, in front of more than 200 attendees, including students and community members. Carolyn Verno, 25, who enrolled at Valencia to pursue a culinary degree after years of earning minimum wage, was among a small group of students who had a chance to participate in a brief roundtable discussion with the President and later introduced him to the camera-ready crowd.

The President shared his efforts to expand access to higher education, and ensure that women can enter the workforce with the skills needed to succeed and earn a fair wage. “This is a family agenda, but it starts with making sure that our economy serves everyone. It starts with women receiving equal pay. On average, women earn just 77 cents on the dollar, compared to men,” declared President Obama, who reminded the audience that the first bill he signed into law was The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which supports filing a lawsuit regarding pay discrimination.

“I have a personal stake in seeing women get ahead. Women make up 80% of my household, if you count my mother-in-law, and you know I always have to count her,” quipped President Obama. The father to Malia, 15, and Sasha, 12, added, “I want to make sure that my daughters get the same chances as men. I don’t want them paid less for doing the same job.” The President urged Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act that would make it illegal for employers to pay men and women differently, and do away with dated “workplace policies that belong in a Mad Men episode.”

When asked as to why Valencia was chosen as the site for this speech, Carol Traynor, Valencia’s Senior Public Relations Manager, said, “We were the first recipient of the Aspen Prize, in 2011, for Community College Excellence in recognition of serving the needs of a diverse population.” The Aspen Prize grew out of the 2010 White House Summit on Community Colleges, where President Obama and Dr. Jill Biden (who has previously visited Valencia) addressed community colleges’ role in increasing the number of college graduates.

Nationally, community colleges are key paths to economic opportunity for women, according to White House officials. In fact, 4.1 million women make up 58% of community college students, and about a quarter of them are mothers. The number of women enrolled at community colleges will increase by nearly 20% between now and 2021, when it is expected to reach 4.9 million, a nearly three times faster growth than that of male enrollment. Part of that expected growth is because community colleges provide flexible pathways for students looking to broaden their skills, expand career options, or transition to a 4-year degree program. Valencia, for example, has over 100 degree programs including Nursing, Engineering, Culinary, and Business.

To no one’s surprise, President Obama briefly mentioned the Affordable Care Act, sharing that, “More than 5 million Americans have signed up. More than 3 million young people have gained coverage, because they can remain on their parents’ coverage until age 26.” He also stated that, “Not many people realize that before “Obama Care” women were charged more (for coverage),” and used a dry cleaning analogy of a woman’s blouse vs. a man’s shirt, i.e. women were paying more for the same thing.

On a personal note…The issue of women/families and the economy is, of course, relevant to Orlando Family Magazine readers; but I have to admit that, as a journalist, covering this event was a career high and would have been regardless of topic. Think about it: this country has only had 44 presidents and I was privileged to hear one speak in person. Dressed in red, white & blue, I truly felt proud to be an American! I’m sure that you will agree that President Obama, like all of us, desires greatness for both his country and his family – regardless of whether his beliefs and actions align with your own.