IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

First lady Michelle Obama delivers emotional commencement address

The high school was thrust into the spotlight two years ago when 15-year-old honor student Hadiya Pendleton was fatally shot on her way home from class.

First lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday delivered the commencement address for Chicago's Martin Luther King Jr. College Prep — a high school that was thrust into the spotlight two years ago when 15-year-old honor student Hadiya Pendleton was fatally shot on her way home from class.

A seat for Hadiya Pendleton is decorated before graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2015 at King College Prep, held on the campus of Chicago State University, June 9, 2015, in Chicago. (Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
A seat for Hadiya Pendleton is decorated before graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2015 at King College Prep, held on the campus of Chicago State University, June 9, 2015, in Chicago. 

"Young people like Hadiya who were taken from us too soon — you need to be hungry for them," Obama said at what would have been Pendleton's graduation ceremony.

The school won a nationwide video competition that featured the top prize of a commencement address by the first lady, according to The Chicago Tribune.

Days before the fatal shooting, Pendleton performed in Washington, D.C., with her drill team during President Barack Obama’s second inauguration festivities, according to the Associated Press.

Tuesday's ceremony took place at Chicago State University.