Swin Cash spoke at the Public Theatre in New York for the fourth annual National College Signing Day, an event put on by former First Lady Michelle Obama and hosted by MTV. Cash was honored to speak and is thrilled Obama is continuing the endeavor after leaving the White House.

“That was really fulfilling, to me, to be at an event like that to see everyone coming together to inspire our youth,” Cash said. “I think that shows a lot about her character, her commitment to education.”

Obama started this national tradition in 2015 as part of the “Better Make Room” campaign, under her “Reach Higher” initiative that encourages students in the U.S. to take responsibility of their future by completing their education past high school.

Cash attended the University of Connecticut to play basketball and advance her education. She set herself apart on the court with her work ethic and wants kids to know that the key to success in life is working hard in the classroom as well.

“I think it’s important that our youth understand that they can play sports, and it’s great, and I encourage everyone to play sports because I love it, but at the same time, that has to go hand in hand with just as much effort into getting your higher education.”

There were more than 200 high school students in attendance celebrating their acceptance into college. Cash wanted to deliver a message to empower the students, letting them know that they control their own destiny, and drew upon what she has seen in her experiences abroad.

“My message was very simple,” she said. “I’ve been around the world and there are kids that don’t have the same opportunities, so even when they feel that everything is going wrong and they don’t know if they have the support around them and things get tough, just understand that somebody has it worse off than you. Don’t worry about the excuses that you could make, try to figure out the solutions.”

The last time Cash saw the former First Lady was in 2012 before Team USA’s run to the Olympic gold medal in London and the two talked about the last time they saw each other.

“It was nice to get a good smile and brief chat about that,” Cash said. “She thanked me for coming out, seeing that she saw my belly and being pregnant, and wanting to give back, so that was pretty cool.”