Meet Rebekah Erler, a Guest of the First Lady at the State of the Union

Rebekah Erler is joining the First Lady as a guest at the 2015 State of the Union Address on January 20. Watch it live at 9 p.m. Eastern at WH.gov/SOTU.

Rebekah Erler

Rebekah Erler is a 36-year-old working wife and mother of two young boys.

Her family was hit hard by the economic downturn in the housing market when her husband's construction business went under.

A move from Seattle to Minneapolis and several difficult jobs later, Rebekah's husband is now back at work in the re-modeling industry. After taking out student loans to attend a local community college for career re-training, Rebekah has returned to the workforce as an accountant.

They recently purchased their first home.

Rebekah wrote the President last March to share what her family had been through together -- and to detail the rising cost of doing right for her family, from groceries to student loan payments to child care. 

Her story is one shared by millions of American families, and helps show that too many middle-class families with two working parents are still stretched too thin. 

Read more about the day the President spent with Rebekah in Minneapolis this past summer.

The State of the Union 2015: Everything You Need to Know:

• Watch the exclusive enhanced speech live at WH.gov/SOTU on Tuesday, January 20, at 9 p.m. ET.
• Visit WH.gov/SOTU to sign up for speech reminders, ask a question for post-speech follow-up, and get updates on the issues.
• The White House is Open for Questions: Get Ready for Big Block of Cheese Day 2.0
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