It’s usually your high school homeroom teacher who tells you to study hard and follow your dreams.  Students at a suburban Washington school heard that message today from the U.S. and South Korean first ladies.

Michelle Obama invited the wife of the South Korean president to join her on a visit to Annandale High School in Annandale, Va. The trip was Obama’s effort to show her South Korean counterpart something outside the White House bubble. Kim Yoon-ok is in Washington with her husband, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, as part of an official state visit.

Annandale is one of the largest Korean-American communities in the Washington, D.C., area. Of the 2,500 students attending Annandale High, 300 are Korean. A school official said 40 languages are spoken at the school.

The first ladies were entertained with music and dance selections performed by Annandale students, the World Children’s Choir and world renowned violinist Jennifer Koh, who was born to Korean parents in Illinois.

Obama told the students that if they work hard and follow their passions, they can reach their dreams. She cited how both Presidents Obama and Lee did not start at the top, but worked hard at their passions to get where they are.

“A good education is about so much more than just learning geometry and memorizing dates in history,” Obama told them. “But education is also about exploring new things, discovering what makes you come alive, and then being the best at whatever you choose.”

She added, “I want you to discover something that you love to do, and then become the best you can be.”