Eighteen-year-old Noah McQueen sat down with Obama at the White House to record an interview published Thursday by StoryCorps, a public broadcasting initiative that collects oral histories. Obama will also meet Friday at the White House with other mentees from the "My Brother's Keeper" program.
Obama asked McQueen about his run-ins with the law, getting back on a straight path and struggling to stay on that path -- also chiming in with his own experience growing up without a father.
McQueen said that while his father lives "down the street," the two don't have a relationship.
"That's one of the things we have in common. As I get older, I start reflecting on how that's affected me," Obama said. "How do you think that affected you?"
"You kinda learn right and wrong on your own terms. I got into fights. And fighting, or getting put out of school was, you know, normal," McQueen said.
For McQueen, that snowballed into run-ins with law enforcement and ultimately violating a house arrest order.
That's when things changed, McQueen said, explaining that he went to a "Christian retreat."
"Did you say to yourself, "Man, I need to find something different and go to a Christian retreat?" Obama asked.
"Oh no sir, I didn't want to go at all. My mom forced me," McQueen said.
"Ok, so mama intervened, 'Lord, please help me knucklehead son Noah straighten out.'" Obama chimed in.
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Obama interviews 18-year-old mentee