First Lady Michelle Obama got emotional today in Chicago during a speech about gun violence. In front of a group of Chicago business and civic leaders the first lady’s voice cracked as she talked about meeting with the classmates of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago teenager who was shot and killed earlier this year.

“It is hard to know what to say to a roomful of teenagers that are about to bury their best friend.  But I started by telling them that Hadiya was clearly on her way to doing something truly worthy with her life. I told them that there is a reason that we're here on this earth. That each of us has a mission in this world and I urged them to use their lives to give meaning to Hadiya's life." The first lady continued, her voice breaking, "I urged them to dream as big as she did and work as hard as she did and live a life that honors every last bit of her God-given promise."

Obama was the featured speaker at a luncheon that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel organized to urge local business leaders to raise $50 million for programs that serve at-risk youth. But her appearance was also a part of a coordinated White House effort this week to push Congress to vote on gun violence measures. The effort started with President Barack Obama's appearance Monday in Connecticut and will culminate with Vice President Joe Biden sitting down for a roundtable on gun violence on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," set to air Thursday morning.

The first lady echoed her husband's State of the Union speech: "Right now my husband is fighting as hard as he can and engaging as many people as he can to pass common-sense reforms to protect our children against gun violence. And these reforms deserve a vote in Congress."

And Obama spoke candidly about how she felt attending the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton.

"What I realized is Hadiya's family was just like my family. Hadiya Pendleton was me and I was her. But I got to grow up and go to Princeton and Harvard Law School and have a career and family and the most blessed life I can imagine. And Hadiya, well we know that story."

She slammed home her point about the need for community engagement as she continued to compare herself to the slain teen.

"See, at the end of the day, this is the point I want to make: That resources matter. ... I had a community that supported me and a neighborhood where I felt safe. And in the end that was the difference between growing up and becoming a lawyer, a mother and First Lady of the United States, and being shot dead at the age of 15. And that is why this new fund that you have created here in Chicago is so important."

Following her speech, Obama met with 19 students at a South Side high school where gun violence has had a profound impact on the student body. In the last year, Harper High has seen 29 current or former students shot. Eight of those victims died from their wounds.

Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive at the Women's History Month Reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington on March 18, 2013.

Yes, there was Jimmy Fallon and the “evolution of mom dancing.” There was the surprise ball-gown-clad appearance for the final moments of the Academy Awards. There was Big Bird roaming the halls of the White House, and there were all those magazine covers.

And don't forget “the bangs.”

But behind the glamour and the occasional – yet always controlled – goofiness, First Lady Michelle Obama has returned to the East Wing for her husband's second term with a sharp focus on the policy causes that she has championed over the past four years.

That means a continuation of her “Let’s Move!” campaign against childhood obesity and her work with military families through the “Joining Forces” initiative.

NBC/ Getty Images Contributor

"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" host Jimmy Fallon dances with First Lady Michelle Obama during a skit on Feb. 22, 2013.

And there are hints of some new endeavors as well.

“We are also working through a strategic planning process to determine how to build upon and expand her work with these initiatives, as well as exploring possible new focus areas,” said a White House aide.  

Without a re-election campaign on the horizon, and with a media landscape that increasingly affords almost unlimited opportunities to reach audiences, Mrs. Obama is able to leverage consistently high approval ratings to promote her goals relentlessly.

Second terms have typically afforded opportunities for first ladies to tread outside their highly scripted comfort zones. After her husband’s re-election in 2004, Laura Bush spoke out forcefully against human rights abuses in Myanmar, also known as Burma, and even held a press conference after a cyclone hit the Southeast Asian nation in 2008 (Not known for her comedic panache, she also brought the house down during a routine at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in 2005.)  

In Ronald Reagan’s second term, his wife’s well-known involvement in White House staff struggles was fodder for press coverage about her “obsession” with ousting Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan, who resigned in 1987.

First Lady Hillary Clinton – no political shrinking violet in Bill Clinton’s first term – confirmed that she was considering a run for United States Senate well before her husband left office.

For Mrs. Obama, the transition into the second term hasn’t been quite that striking, but observers do say that she’s showing a renewed energy in pushing her major policy efforts.

Annie Leibovitz/Vogue for AP

This cover image released by Vogue shows first lady Michelle Obama on the cover of the April 2013 issue of the magazine.

“She’s looking forward to making the most of her finite time as First Lady, and while the spotlight’s on, doing as much as possible to make a difference,” said Olivia Alair, the first lady’s 2012 campaign secretary and now a vice president at SKDKnickerbocker.

Since the president’s re-election, Michelle Obama is newly free of the pressure of a looming campaign season in which she would be relentlessly described as a valuable piece of political machinery.  

(A search of media reports finds almost 300 hits in the last two years for mentions of “Michelle Obama” and “secret weapon” in the same news article.)

And being off the campaign trail means less risk of encountering the type of political landmines which Mrs. Obama encountered early in her introduction to the country. In 2008, she was heavily criticized for saying that the national response to her husband’s run made her proud of her country “for the first time in my adult life.”

Dr. Myra Gutin, an expert on first ladies and a professor of communications at Rider University, says that moment largely explained why Mrs. Obama approached her new role so gingerly in 2009, despite having just an eight percent disapproval rating upon coming into office.

“Again and again, she felt she had to prove herself to the country, so she did that in a very cautious way,” says Gutin.  “She certainly didn’t want to use up [Barack Obama’s] political capital trying to clean up any mess that she may have gotten into.”

Mrs. Obama is still far from undisciplined, but she appears to be much more accustomed to being the target of criticism.

Pete Souza / AFP - Getty Images

This White House photo shows First Lady Michelle Obama announcing the Best Picture Oscar winner from the White House on Feb. 24, 2013.

Responding to gripes about her media appearances during a round table with reporters earlier this month, she said, “There's no logic in that," adding, “It doesn't have anything to do with me.  Anyone in this position has a huge spotlight and in modern day media the spotlight just gets more intense. I don't attribute this to me or Barack. The culture has just shifted."

(That’s a lesson echoed in her advice to kids active in mentoring program Girls, Inc., whom she advised bluntly last year to “stay away from the haters.”)

Observers also note that, with the campaign in the history books, there’s simply more time on the schedule.

After spending hundreds of hours on planes en route to more than 100 campaign events in the course of six months, Mrs. Obama’s calendar for this week included an appearance to honor female veterans and a playful romp – with dog Bo at her side – with children at Walter Reed Medical Center’s lodgings for military families.

And, of course, there are the interviews.

“In terms of media presence, there’s just not been anyone like her,” said Gutin. “She’s shown up on everything from [Nickelodeon TV sitcom] iCarly, to Ellen DeGeneres to David Letterman , and that gives her tremendous exposure.  It shows that the Obamas have a real grasp of what the media can do for them.”

Although Mrs. Obama’s media appearances are unmatched in scale and diversity by other first ladies, they’re not entirely unprecedented.

Nancy Reagan did a lengthy cameo on "Diff’rent Strokes" to warn about the dangers of drug abuse in 1983. Every first lady since Barbara Bush has goofed off with the Muppets on "Sesame Street."

Laura Bush – as supporters of Mrs. Obama swiftly pointed out – participated in the 2002 Academy Awards telecast in the form of a short prerecorded statement that was part of an opening montage about the meaning of films.

During her time at the White House, Mrs. Obama has also come to be regarded as a fashion icon, wearing everything from budget-friendly pieces (which subsequently fly off the shelves) to designer duds (including pricey vacation frocks which have earned the ire of critics).

Slideshow: Michelle Obama's effortless style

But the commercialization connected to a first lady’s beauty and style isn't unique to her.

Seventy years before the nation’s infatuation with Jackie Kennedy, advertisers were plastering images of President Grover Cleveland’s famously pretty young wife Frances on products from perfumes to liver pills. In a telling parallel to the present day, Mrs. Cleveland’s unique haircut quickly became a fad.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP file

First Lady Michelle Obama and chef Rachel Ray discuss lunches with students during a "Let's Move!" event in Clinton, Miss., on Feb. 27. 2013.

Regardless of Michelle Obama’s media presence, perhaps the most revealing moments about the current first lady come not under the bright lights of a Vogue magazine photo shoot or on the sound stage of a scripted sitcom, but in her everyday interactions at the public (but usually little-covered events) for military families.

“This is one of the best things I do every single day, is work with our service members, our veterans and their tremendous families,” she told a group of female veterans at a ceremony at the White House this week. “Because none of you, I know, could do what you do without somebody having your back.  And that’s usually a spouse, or a son, or a daughter, or someone else who has sacrificed tremendously so that you could serve”

“And,” she added wryly. “I know a little bit about that.”

This story was originally published on Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:57 PM EDT

It turns out that the president’s recent meal with Republican senators wasn't the only dinner party he's held this month with famous folks in Washington.

The president and the First Lady dined at the White House with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week, the White House confirmed Friday.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest characterized the March 1 get-together as a “private dinner” but declined to offer further details about what was discussed.

While Obama’s former presidential rival Hillary Clinton has been taking time out of the spotlight after her departure from Foggy Bottom, former president Bill Clinton made headlines this morning with an op-ed advocating for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage act, which he signed in 1996.

The dinner was first reported by POLITICO.

This story was originally published on Fri Mar 8, 2013 1:18 PM EST

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First lady Michelle Obama told a crowd of supporters today that she is "heartbroken" by the toll of Hurricane Sandy.

"We are heartbroken about the lives that have been lost and all the damage that has been done in so many of our communities," Obama said, adding that her husband, President Barack Obama, is working "around the clock" with governors and mayors and first responders. 

"I know that one of things that we do in times of crisis is come together," Obama said.

It was a message of unity that may have been tinged with politics, too, evoking images of Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie touring the devastated New Jersey coastline yesterday.

Christie, Republican, has been one of the president's fiercest critics but this week has praised his leadership.

The first lady's event here in Jacksonville drew 4,700 people, the campaign said.

The crowd was treated to a brief show from Stevie Wonder beforehand, who told the audience that the president is "for all people."

"You know what amazes me is when I hear all these various people talking crazy," Wonder said of the president's opponents. "I say, 'They must be blinder than me.'"

The first lady delivered her usual early vote message, declaring that voting early and volunteering is part of the campaign's "five-day plan" in the run up to Nov. 6.

Earlier, a campaign field organizer announced that vans were waiting to bring members of the crowd to a polling station inside a city library.

LAS VEGAS -- First lady Michelle Obama brought her early vote message to another crucial battleground state Friday, telling about 1000 supporters inside a middle school gym to get out to the polls, and to pull others "into the fold."

"I need you all to go vote," Obama said, before urging the crowd to visit a polling station adjacent to the school, inside a nearby shopping mall.

An election official at the Boulevard Mall later told NBC News that about 300 people arrived to cast ballots in the immediate aftermath of the first lady's event.  

Slideshow: On the campaign trail

Reuters, Getty Images

In the final push in the 2012 presidential election, candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama make their last appeals to voters.

Launch slideshow

Early voting began Oct. 20th in Nevada and will run through Nov. 2nd -- a 14-day period.

A call to action is not a new message from the first lady, but it came Friday amid more polling showing President Barack Obama facing a tightening race against Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.   

NBC News-Wall Street Journal-Marist polls this week show President Obama with a 50-47 percent lead among likely voters here in Nevada, and tied at 48 percent in Colorado.

"There will be plenty of ups and downs over the next 11 days," Obama told the crowd here, encouraging them to keep working.

The event opened against the backdrop of a drama involving Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), one of the president's most outspoken and powerful allies. 

In the minutes after Reid's wife, Landra Reid, delivered remarks praising the first lady, reports materialized that Reid had been involved in an area car accident.   Mrs. Reid seemed not to have been aware of the accident during her speech. 

In a statement later Friday, Reid's staff said he was brought to an area hospital by his own security detail as a "precaution," with hip and rib bruises.  

He was released from the hospital Friday evening, according to the NBC station in Las Vegas.

When Obama took the podium here she called Harry and Landra Reid "tremendous friends and supporters," but didn't mention the senate majority leader's accident.  

"They are awesome champions for this state and for this country," Obama said of the Reids.

Phil Sandlin / AP

First lady Michelle Obama gives the "Gator Chomp" to students as she speaks to a rally in Gainesville, Fla., Monday, Sept. 17.

It wasn't Obama's first reference to the George W. Bush era.

Earlier, she implored the crowd not to "turn around and go back" to economic policies that she said "got [the United States] into trouble in the first place."

Florida is clearly part of that mission.

The First Lady's visit may be an indication that whatever ground President Barack Obama has gained here and in other battleground states is going to be guarded closely.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll last week showed the president holding a lead of five points on Republican nominee Mitt Romney among likely voters in Florida and Virginia, and a lead of seven points in Ohio.

"From now until November the 6th, we're going to need every single one of you to work like you've never worked before," Obama said.  She urged students to take advantage of early voting in order to volunteer on election day.

Hours before the first lady arrived in Tallahassee, a flap blew up over a surreptitious video that captured Romney at a fundraiser this year, telling donors that supporters of Barack Obama are "dependent upon government."

Obama didn't mention the controversy here in Tallahassee, and instead painted a broad picture of values she said she and her husband share.

"You have to be driven by the struggles, hopes and dreams of all of the people you serve," she said.  "As president you need a strong inner compass, a core commitment to your fellow citizen, that’s how you make the right decisions for this country. That’s what it takes to be a leader."

Late Monday, Romney said during a press conference that his remarks were not "elegantly stated" but reflect his philosophical differences with the White House.

"This is something I talk about a good deal in rallies and speeches and so forth, which is the president and I have very different approaches to the future of America," Romney said.

Obama campaign officials estimated 8,850 people showed up in Tallahassee. Earlier Monday, the first lady addressed students on the campus of the University of Florida, in Gainesville.