Michelle Obama, a hit with Mexican students (News Feature)

By Andrea Sosa Cabrios Apr 15, 2010, 0:19 GMT

Mexico City - Around 3,200 young people waited for several hours for the arrival of US First Lady Michelle Obama at the Iberian American University in Mexico City on Wednesday.

During a two-day visit to Mexico City - her first official trip abroad without her husband - Michelle Obama delivered a motivating speech for the youngsters.

In the open air at the centre of the university, she told personal anecdotes of how she and her husband, US President Barack Obama, overcame the difficulties that stood in their paths. And she called upon students to not shut themselves up to the outside world.

There were references to Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Abraham Lincoln, but her speech only drew moderate applause.

First, the crowd cheered her effort in Spanish, when she said that she felt 'entre amigos,' among friends, in Mexico and when she said that, when she was asked to decide where to travel on her first trip abroad, she replied, also in Spanish, 'Mexico, por supuesto' (Mexico, of course).

There was great expectation among the students over her presence.

'She seems like a very intelligent woman to me. She seems quite a personality. She is not just a first lady, she is someone who mixes in with people,' said marketing student Sergio Sahagun, 20.

According to the host university, students had been summoned for the speech from several public and private institutions, including the National Polytechnic Institute and Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM), along with students from indigenous communities who attend the Intercultural University in the state of Mexico.

'The summons came from the United States government. They invited students from several places and chose the 'Ibero' as a venue, I guess taking into account the university's prestige, its availability and security issues,' the university's Institutional Communications director Carlos Deveaux told the German Press Agency dpa.

Most, though not all, of the guests were in their first few months in college.

In order to meet with students, Michelle Obama went with Margarita Zavala, the wife of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, from central Mexico City to Santa Fe, a business and luxury residential area about 20 kilometres away.

Former speakers at the same site as the first lady include former Mexican president Vicente Fox (2000-2006) and the Dalai Lama.

'I had never had the chance to be with such an important person. The closest so far were (Mexican actor) Gael Garcia Bernal and (French) director Mathieu Kassovitz, who was here for the university film festival,' communications student Carolina Rivas, 22, told dpa.

'She is the first lady, and the United States is the world's greatest power. Her presence here in Mexico is impressive,' the student said.

When she finished her speech, Michelle Obama gave a few kisses and left to pursue her busy agenda. Her trip is set to end Thursday.