Girl, 8, writes to Barack Obama and gets a response

U.S. president elect Barack Obama recently said he wanted to get a dog for his daughters. Fil-Am Karina Encarnacion, 8, wrote a letter to him to make a recommendation and to her surprise, she actually got a letter back from Obama.

Karina sent a two-page handwritten letter in September after she heard about Obama searching for the right dog for her daughters. She also gave him some advice to enforce certain policies once he gets elected president. Karina recommended Obama get a Coton de Tulear, a small Bichon-type dog named after the city in Madagascar. The dog has a soft cottony coat and sheds no hair. Karina said this dog will be ideal for Obama’s daughters (Malia, 10 and Sasha, 7), one of whom has allergy problems. She said she has a similar dog and it is very smart and sweet. Obama had previously promised his daughters they could have a dog once they move in to the White House. Karina also suggested some policies for the future president; she asked him the following:

“Would it be possible for you to make a law that requires everyone to recycle… And would it be possible to ban unnecessary wars?”

She also told him he will make a very good president, making wise decisions for the country. Obama replied with a letter dated Oct. 20 and thanked her for the kind words and recommending the right dog. He said in that letter:

I am impressed with your interest in politics, especially at your young age. I appreciate your idea to make a law requiring people to recycle and to ban unnecessary wars. Look out for other people, even when it does not directly benefit you; strive to make a difference everywhere you go; and get back up every time you are knocked down.

Karina’s mother Cindy Herbosa-Encarnacion, has a Ph.D. in Biology and is the director of St. Louis Science Center. Karina’s father John is a professor at the St. Louis University in Missouri. Both are immigrants. Obama also gave her some advice in that letter, which I am sure will inspire Karina:

“Creating change and making the world better is not always easy, and you will probably find in your life that it is more comfortable to ignore injustices that don’t affect you directly. Don’t take that comfortable road. Challenge yourself to make a difference.

If you don’t already know what it means, I want you to look up the word ‘empathy’ in the dictionary. I believe we don’t have enough empathy in our world today, and it is up to your generation to change that.

I hope you will always be an active participant in the world around you, and that you will seize every opportunity to make the world better.

Seeing young people like you who care about making things better inspires me and gives me great hope about the future of our country.

Karina, also got an autographed picture of Obama along with the letter.