Ever since she moved into those hallowed brick dorms in Cambridge, everyone’s been wondering. What exactly was she doing in there? We saw the blurry paparazzi shots of her grabbing coffee or heading to class, but for a long time, the actual academic path of the former First Daughter was kept surprisingly quiet.
Honestly, it makes sense. If your dad was the President, you’d probably want a little privacy too.
But now that she’s out in the "real world" making a name for herself (literally), the details of her time in the Ivy League have finally crystallized. She wasn't just there to coast or take "underwater basket weaving." Malia was actually deeply embedded in a specific, creative niche that has everything to do with the career she's building today.
So, what did Malia Obama study at Harvard?
To get straight to the point: Malia Obama graduated from Harvard University in 2021 with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies (often abbreviated as VES).
Now, if that sounds a bit vague or "artsy," you aren't wrong. At Harvard, VES is the primary department for students interested in filmmaking, architecture, and contemporary art. It’s not just about looking at paintings. It’s a rigorous, hands-on program where students actually create things. For Malia, this meant focusing heavily on the film and moving image track.
She didn't just sleep through lectures. She was actually quite good at it. Before she tossed her cap in 2021, she was named a winner of the Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize. That’s a big deal in the Harvard world. It's an award given for "excellent undergraduate work" and "excellence in the art of teaching." Basically, she wasn't just a student; she was a standout.
The Gap Year Move
Before she even stepped foot on campus, Malia did something that's become a bit of a trend for high-achievers: she took a gap year. This was back in 2016. Instead of rushing straight from the White House to a dorm room, she spent time traveling through South America and Indonesia.
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But more importantly for her future career, she spent part of that year interning. She didn't intern at a law firm or a political think tank. She went to New York City and worked for The Weinstein Company (this was, notably, before the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke wide open). It was a clear signal to anyone paying attention: she was headed for Hollywood, not Capitol Hill.
Why Visual and Environmental Studies mattered
You might be thinking, "Why didn't she just study Film?"
Well, Harvard is an old-school liberal arts institution. They don't really do "vocational" degrees. You don't major in "How to be a Director." Instead, the VES program forces you to look at film through a broader lens. You're studying the philosophy of art, the history of environments, and the technical side of production all at once.
It gave her a foundation that was less about "learning the business" and more about "learning the craft."
During her four years, she was reportedly a regular in the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. That’s the only building in North America designed by the legendary architect Le Corbusier. It’s a brutalist concrete masterpiece where VES students spend late nights editing film and debating aesthetics.
A shift in identity
Interestingly, her time at Harvard seemed to be the beginning of a major shift in how she wanted the world to see her. By the time she was ready to debut her own professional work, she started making moves to distance herself from the "Obama" brand.
If you look at the credits for her 2023 short film, The Heart, which premiered at Sundance, you won't see the name Malia Obama. Instead, she’s credited as Malia Ann. Ann is her middle name (and her paternal grandmother's name).
Her parents have been pretty vocal about this. On a podcast recently, Barack Obama mentioned that he told her, "You do know they'll know who you are?" And her response was basically that she wanted people to watch the work for the first time without that immediate association.
Life after the degree
Since graduating, Malia hasn't slowed down. She didn't take a "sabbatical" or hide away. She went straight into the writers' room.
- Swarm: She worked as a staff writer on Donald Glover's (Childish Gambino) gritty, surrealist Amazon Prime series.
- The Heart: She wrote and directed this short film, which is a "fable" about a man grieving his mother.
- Sundance: She’s become a fixture at the festival, not as a celebrity guest, but as a working filmmaker.
Donald Glover has been surprisingly candid about her talent, too. He’s mentioned in interviews that they couldn't be "easy on her" just because of who her parents are. He described her writing style as "great" and noted her intense focus.
Actionable Insights for Aspiring Creatives
Malia Obama’s path through Harvard and into the film industry offers a few real-world takeaways, even if your dad wasn't the President:
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- The "Gap Year" works: Taking time to intern in your actual field of interest before college can validate your choice of major.
- Interdisciplinary degrees carry weight: A degree like Visual and Environmental Studies offers more flexibility than a narrow technical degree. It teaches you how to think, not just how to use a camera.
- Branding is everything: If you feel like your background (whatever it may be) overshadows your work, don't be afraid to pivot your professional identity. Using a "pen name" or stage name is a time-honored way to let the work speak for itself.
- Start small: Even with her connections, she started as a production assistant on sets like Halle Berry's Extant and an intern on HBO’s Girls years before she directed her own project.
Malia's choice to study the arts at Harvard instead of following her parents into law was a definitive "fork in the road" moment. It confirmed that she was more interested in telling stories than passing laws. By leaning into the VES program, she traded the political spotlight for the glow of the editing bay, and so far, it seems to be paying off.