Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama appeared together at the opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago. The ceremony has renewed public interest in their daughters, Malia Obama and Sasha Obama.
While the sisters spent much of their childhood in the White House, both have since built lives outside electoral politics. When their father was elected as the 44th president, Malia and Sasha were 10 and 8 years old, respectively. From 2009 to 2017, they resided in the White House during Obama’s two terms.
Today, both women have completed college, pursued their own interests and largely avoided leveraging their famous family name, according to their parents.
Barack Obama said in 2024 that his daughters “go out of their way” not to capitalize on the Obama brand as they establish careers and identities of their own.
Read more: Barack Obama tops Donald Trump, Joe Biden in latest favorability poll; here’s what it found
Malia Obama pursues a filmmaking career
Malia Obama, the elder daughter, has carved out a path in the entertainment industry.
Malia, who was born in Chicago on July 4, 1998, went to Harvard University after graduating from high school and taking a year off. Since graduating in 2021, she has worked on several well-known television and film productions.
Malia worked as an intern in the entertainment industry both before and during her time in college. Later on, she contributed to Donald Glover’s Amazon series Swarm as a writer. In 2024, Malia debuted her short film The Heart at the Sundance Film Festival. She credited the project to “Malia Ann,” using her middle name professionally instead of Obama.
Barack later revealed that he questioned the decision initially but respected her desire to let audiences evaluate her work independently. Michelle echoed that sentiment, saying her daughters want to earn opportunities through hard work rather than family connections.
Malia has also participated in social activism efforts. She joined Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020 alongside her younger sister.
Read more: JD Vance reveals the one thing he got wrong about Donald Trump: ‘I had no understanding…’
Sasha Obama builds a life in Los Angeles
Sasha Obama has followed a different path while remaining close to her family and sister.
Sasha, who was born in Chicago on June 10, 2001, first studied at the University of Michigan before moving to the University of Southern California. She received her degree in sociology in 2023.
Friends and family have often described Sasha as confident and outspoken. Barack once said she has never been intimidated by titles or credentials and readily shares her views. “My younger one, Sasha, is just full of energy and the comedian in the family,” Barack told People Magazine.
After completing college, Sasha moved to Los Angeles, where she now lives with Malia. Michelle has spoken publicly about her pride in seeing the sisters choose to live together and maintain a close bond after years of growing up under extraordinary circumstances.
The former first lady said the sisters share a unique understanding because they experienced adolescence inside the White House under constant public scrutiny. Barack shared during an interview on The Late Late Show, “They still have PTSD from guys talking into their wrist microphones and glasses as they’re trying to go to a music concert.”
