First Lady Jill Biden Visits School, Pop-Up Vaccination Clinic In Salt Lake
May 5, 2021, 2:07 PM | Updated: May 6, 2021, 12:17 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The plane carrying First Lady Jill Biden to Utah touched down in Salt Lake City just before 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Dr. Biden was greeted by Gov. Spencer Cox, Utah First Lady Abby Cox, and other state officials.
On the agenda in the Beehive State were a stop at Glendale Middle School and a pop-up vaccination clinic, White House officials said.
“You shouldered it for all of us and for that we thank you,” says Utah First Lady @AbbyPalmerCox to educators for their work during the pandemic.
Cox is speaking ahead of the remarks from @FLOTUS Jill Biden at Glendale Middle School.@KSL5TV @KSLcom @KSLnews pic.twitter.com/mtdGFbBqIH
— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) May 5, 2021
The First Lady thanked teachers at the school for their work during the pandemic.
Dr. Biden discussed President Joe Biden’s vision for the future of education and said she is especially qualified to hold the president accountable for giving more attention to teachers.
“Your president knows that. After all, he’s married to me – and he’s been with a teacher every single day for the last 44 Years,” she said.
She explained how the administration has already focused on education in the past several weeks.
“It started by making sure that all schools have what they need to safely reopen and provide support to all of our students,” Dr. Biden said.
She added, more mentoring programs and pathways will be created to allow teachers to grow and improve their careers.
“We’re going to fund scholarships and residency programs to strengthen our education workforce and recruit more teachers of color, and we’re going to pay teachers competitive salaries,” she said.
VIDEO: "You help students navigate a world that they don't always understand."@FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden thanked educators while visiting #Utah today during #TeacherAppreciationWeek
"Look at all you've done during this time"@KSL5TV @KSLcom @kslnewsradio #TeacherAppreciation pic.twitter.com/1o9mToSpPP
— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) May 6, 2021
Dr. Biden called teaching a profoundly optimistic career that allows people to take setbacks, heartaches, and challenges that are transformed into light.
Her final message was one of gratitude for the school’s teachers and staff.
“Thank you for all that you’ve done for the students of Glendale,” she said. “Thank you for your optimism. Thank you for illuminating our world. We appreciate you and we will work to show you that with our actions every single day.”
Prior to her remarks, Dr. toured the Title I school on Salt Lake’s west side. During her visit, she met with Utah’s first lady Abby Cox and Utah’s Teacher of the Year, John Arthur. She also took the time to visit with a handful of eighth-graders.
Those students said Dr. Biden was warm and approachable.
“I thought I would be really nervous, but she was just very calm, says Erin, a Glendale Junior High Student. “She was so easy to talk to. She wasn’t like scary or anything.”
A small group of students from Glendale Junior High showed #flotus the posters they made for an assignment. Dr. Jill Biden, a longtime educator, completed the assignment too. More on her visit on @KSL5TV at 10. pic.twitter.com/h8JJ38xmRh
— Debbie Worthen (@DebbieWorthen) May 6, 2021
The students were chosen based on “I am” posters they had hanging in the school. Fernanda, one student able to meet the first lady Wednesday showed her poster that read, “I am Fernanda. I dream of graduating. I wish that you knew that just because I am Mexican. I am no different than you.”
Along Navajo Street, neighbors proudly waved flags and watched, hoping for a glimpse.
NOW: @RepAngelaRomero welcomes @FLOTUS to a vaccination clinic at Jordan Park.
The pop-up clinic is hoping to vaccinate about 200 today.
@KSL5TV @kslnewsradio @KSLcom pic.twitter.com/7aFt07g9ob
— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) May 5, 2021
After speaking at the school. Dr. Biden was transported to a pop-up vaccination clinic at Jordan Park in Salt Lake, where health workers hoped to administer shots to about 200 people.
