Presidential candidate Barack Obama waves to the audience...

Barack Hussein Obama II was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii to parents Barack H Obama and Dr Stanley Ann Dunham Obama Soetoro. He was raised by his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, and grandparents. He attended the prestigious Punahou School in Honolulu and after high school went on to attend Occidental College in Los Angeles and Columbia University in New York City, where he earned a degree in political science. Later, he pursued a law degree at Harvard Law School, where he became the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review, setting the stage for his future career in law, community organizing, and politics. Barack Obama's political journey began in 1996 when he was elected to the Illinois State Senate, representing the 13th district. During his time in the state senate, he worked on a wide range of issues, including healthcare, ethics reform, and criminal justice. He then ran for the U.S. Senate and won in 2004, becoming the fifth African American senator in U.S. history. His time in the Senate was marked by efforts to foster bipartisanship and address issues such as veterans' care and nuclear proliferation. Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008 when he secured the Democratic nomination and won the general election against the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain. He was the first African American president in United States history. His presidency spanned from 2009 to 2017 and during his time in office prioritized economic recovery, healthcare reform, and foreign policy. His signature achievement was the Affordable Care Act, expanding healthcare access.