AP via WRAL.com

“You get a hand living your dreams, and then you help your fellow citizens live theirs,” the Illinois senator told a small group of students in a courtyard at Wayne County [Michigan] Community College. He listened as they told stories of balancing family demands, high fuel prices and school costs. …

Earlier, he met one-on-one with dental hygiene student Marilyn Pace, who broke down in tears talking about how she is falling behind in school fee payments to pay for $4 a gallon gas to get to campus. Obama put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her and said, “You are going to make it. … You’ll be cleaning teeth in no time.”