Way to go! Herricks senior Kripa Bhagat

Kripa Bhagat, a senior from Herricks High School, joined students from 21 schools nationwide this winter to meet first lady Michelle Obama and attend a lecture she presented on the need for educational exchanges between the United States and China.

Bhagat said Herricks was eligible to send a student due to its involvement in the Asia Society's Confucius Classrooms Network, a national network of educators aimed at promoting Chinese language teaching.

"It was nerve-racking," Bhagat, 17, said of meeting Obama at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19. "I told her I was excited to hear her speak, and she congratulated me on coming."

Obama's lecture focused on the importance of study-abroad programs, Bhagat said, and their role in fostering political, economic and cultural ties.

At Herricks, Bhagat studies Chinese, Italian and Spanish and is president of her class.

"Once in a while we get a student who is a polyglot," said Lori Langer de Ramirez, chairwoman of the school's ESL and World Language Department, who nominated Bhagat for the trip.

"She's exceptionally mature."