Michelle Obama, the nation's First Lady, kicked off her new higher education initiative with an address to Bell Multicultural High School in Washington D.C. Tuesday, the New York Times reported.

Her mission is to increase the number of students from low-income families enrolling in and graduating from college. In her address Tuesday, she urged her audience to pursue a college degree and all the opportunities that come along with one.

The First Lady spoke to sophomores at Bell and told them of her days as a college student struggling financially to attend school. She said she would take long bus rides just to take classes at a better institution and dreamed of a degree from Princeton University, which she eventually earned.

Obama also attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School. She ended up back in her hometown Chicago working for the law firm Sidley-Austin, where she met her husband, President Barack Obama.

"No matter what path you choose, no matter what dreams you have, you have got to do whatever it takes to continue your education after high school," the First Lady said.

She said the U.S. lead the world in education a generation ago, but has slipped heavily in college graduation rates since. By 2020, the sophomores she addressed will be on track to receive their college degree and Obama said that would be important because by that time, nearly two-thirds of jobs in the country will require a degree.

Her new initiative is part of Barack and Education Department Secretary Arne Duncan's plan to reform higher education. A recent proposal set forth plans to put federally funded schools on a rating scale and will give the higher scoring schools more government money to aid prospective students.

Michelle Obama talked about the doubts she had aiming for a school like Princeton, the doubts others put in her head and the doubts she still remembers today.

"Some of my teachers straight up told me that I was setting my sights too high," Mrs. Obama said. "They told me I was never going to get into a school like Princeton. I still hear that doubt ringing in my head."

The First Lady is expected to address more high schools around the country, emphasizing the importance of college.