“I had a very good friend who was two years older than I was, and she was in law school, and she said, 'It's a great thing to do when you have no idea what you want to do.' And she was right. I learned a lot, I practiced law for 10 years. I've never looked back once I stopped practicing law, but it was a really good experience.”

American businesswoman, attorney and former government official

Valerie Jarrett is an American businesswoman, attorney, and former government official. She has led the Obama Foundation as chief executive officer since 2021, and was the longest-serving senior adviser to President Barack Obama. In the White House, she headed the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chaired the Council on Women and Girls. Before that, she served as chief executive officer of The Habitat Company and was a co-chair of the Obama-Biden Transition Project.