"It was a dream come true: I hugged the First Lady," says Veronica, a volunteer and small business owner who had the chance to introduce First Lady Michelle Obama at an event in Colorado yesterday.

"It was absolutely wonderful to be able to meet her. She's such a wonderful and inspiring woman, and both she and President Obama are so genuine. That's what I said in my introduction: I expressed my admiration for them and thanked them for everything they've done for my family.

"The First Lady talked about how we have to get people together and give them the facts about what the President's done: health care, equal pay, all of that. It was very motivating—she definitely gave us a boost."

Veronica's story covers two countries and a lot of hard work:

"I was born in Texas and raised in Mexico," she says, "but my family is very American. Growing up, the music was jazz, big band and rock and roll—just about as American as it gets. When I was 18, I said 'That's the country I love, so that’s where I'm going to be!' and moved back to El Paso.

"I was a stay-at-home mom until my daughter Alyssa started preschool. A few years later, my husband Lionel and I started a picture framing business in our garage. With a lot of hard work, we opened a retail store, and even though it got tough at times, we stuck it out. Today, we do a lot of framing for our military—coins, plaques, flags, anything the soldiers want framed. President Obama cut small businesses like ours a break on our taxes—that helped us to survive."

When asked why she makes the time to volunteer, Veronica says:

"Seeing how the President and First Lady work for us keeps me going. They know what most of us are going through because they've been there; they understand and remember what it was like. So I just want to make sure everyone is out there doing what they can to keep that man in office. We have to work, and we've got to work hard.

"To anyone thinking about volunteering, you should know that you're not just helping by making calls or doing data entry or knocking doors—you're also creating a community. It's not just a lot of fun, it's an extended family. We support each other."

If you're ready to help President Obama win this November, join Veronica and volunteers in all 50 states by getting involved today.

Volunteer

Ulises and Blanca know how important it is that their generation vote, but they're not stopping at making sure they're set for November 6th. They also came out today during the National Voter Registration Weekend of Action to help register students on Auraria's campus in Denver.

"As a Latina, I know it's so important that I vote and help others vote. If we don't vote in November, others will make decisions for us. We should make the decisions for our self," Blanca said.

Both Ulises and Blanca are in high school, and this Fall marks the first time they can vote in a Presidential election. In the meantime, they've been volunteering in our West Denver office, where they like to make calls and go out and talk to voters about what the President has accomplished for Latinos.

"It's a great way to help our community, and I know the President understands us. He's doing everything he can to make our future better," explains Blanca.

Ulises highlighted how rewarding it is to help voters make sure their information is up to date, and that young people are set to vote in the Fall.

“My favorite part is convincing people that their vote matters in 2012,” explains Ulises, “and then seeing them register.”

If you're interested in joining Ulises and Blanca this weekend to help register voters, there's still plenty of time to sign up for shifts tomorrow. And as a special way of saying thank you, anyone who completes a shift this weekend will be automatically entered for a chance to see Michelle Obama!

Today, we're announcing an exciting sweepstakes called Join Michelle in Colorado Springs. You might've heard that the First Lady will be in Colorado on April 30th for a volunteer appreciation event, and this sweepstakes is your chance to see Michelle.

The rules to enter the sweepstakes are pretty simple: sign up and complete one voter registration shift during the National Voter Registration Weekend of Action this weekend, and you'll be entered for a chance to attend the First Lady's event in Colorado Springs. We're giving away 10 tickets statewide and each ticket comes with a plus one.

Registering voters is simple, effective and critical to re-electing the President in November, and now that we have a clear opponent, it's time to step up and take action. Sign up for a shift today to join fellow supporters on Saturday, April 28th or Sunday, April 29th. We hope you'll be one of the lucky volunteers to join Michelle in Colorado Springs.

See you out there,
Carrie Doyle
Colorado State Director

To see all Official Rules and represent that you satisfy all of the eligibility requirements, click here.

The President will be at CU-Boulder tomorrow to talk about college affordability and why it's critical that everyone have access to a good education. Young Americans will play a critical role in helping re-elect the President. Sign up here to volunteer today.

Justine S. is just the kind of student President Barack Obama’s higher education initiatives are designed to help.

The 26-year-old North Denver native has struggled to afford college. She enrolled at a community college in 2004 and now is a student at Metropolitan State College of Denver, where she’s working on a political science degree. She has $10,000 in student loans and expects more debt if she attends graduate school. She recently had to take a break from school because she couldn’t afford tuition.

But her education is back on track now thanks to a Pell Grant and changes to the federal loan repayment program. “I now have a good plan to pay for college,” says Justine. “I definitely couldn't afford college without it.”

Because President Obama believes education is a means to achieving economic growth, he’s made it easier for students like Justine to pay back their federal college loans. Starting in 2014, new borrowers will pay no more than 10 percent of their disposable income. And, any remaining debt can be forgiven after 20 years. Those engaged in public-service professions — such as teachers, nurses, or members of the armed forces — can have their debt forgiven even sooner.

“I support Barack because he's the only guy for the job right now,” Justine says. “When it comes to my education, I have faith from what he’s already done that he’ll help with loan reduction.”

She also benefited from the Affordable Care Act, which allowed her to stay on her mother’s insurance until she found a job with coverage. “I didn’t realize how grateful I was until I had those extra two years,” says Justine, a campaign volunteer who is considering a career in politics herself.

“The economy is on a steady rebound. We’re headed in the right direction,” she says. “If we change the course it would be detrimental to the whole country.

“It took longer than 4 years to create this mess. It will take more than four years to fix it.”

For more information about student loan reform, check out the President's remarks calling on Congress to prevent student interest rates from doubling.