For the first time, both the RNC and the DNC had black women as primetime speakers during their respective conventions—former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the RNC and First Lady Michelle Obama at the DNC. When I saw Michelle Obama’s speech at the 2008 DNC, I was almost moved to tears because I felt as though she was speaking to me. This year, being able to see both women was a historic moment that I felt privileged to witness.

As a black woman, I admire both Rice and Obama for very different reasons. In Michelle Obama, I see myself—the kind of black woman I hope to be one day. She has navigated her roles as wife, mother and career woman in a way that is admirable. Prior to meeting President Obama, Michelle Obama was already an attorney at Sidley Austin, a prominent law firm in Chicago.