Amanda Gorman tells Michelle Obama she still has imposter syndrome and couldn’t say her own name until three years ago

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Beyond that, as someone with a speech impediment, that impostor syndrome has always been exacerbated because there’s the concern, Is the content of what I’m saying good enough? And then the additional fear, Is the way I’m saying it good enough?” Gorman, the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate, then discussed her speech difficulty, which she has in common with Maya Angelou and President Joe Biden, and how it impacted her ability to say certain words, such as her own last name. During the conversation, Ms Obama also asked the 22-year-old how it feels finding herself thrust into the spotlight as a symbol of hope, with the Becoming author revealing: “I know a thing or two about having that kind of pressure put on you, and it isn’t always easy.” In response, Gorman acknowledged the difficulties of being a Black woman in the public eye, and how when you’re “first rocketed into a type of visibility, you’re trying to represent your best self without having the best resources”, with the Harvard graduate revealing that there have been times she has done her own hair and makeup in a Starbucks bathroom before walking on stage to perform in front of a crowd of 1,000 people. We’re always walking this really tentative line of who we are and what the public sees us as,” she said, adding that she is handling it “day by day”.