MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A recent University of Minnesota graduate has been invited to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address this week.

Abby Schanfield, 21, of Minneapolis, spoke at the White House last summer as part of a three-woman panel about the Affordable Health Care Act.

Schanfield was born with toxoplasmosis, and has dealt with medical issues for her entire life due to the parasitic disease. She said that she would not have been able to qualify for medical insurance without the law given her preexisting conditions.

She said that with the Affordable Care Act, she can remain on her parents’ insurance policy until she turns 26.

Schanfield, who graduated in December with a degree in political science, will be attending the State of the Union with her mother.

She’s currently working at a hair salon part time and interning for a health policy company. She eventually wants to work in health policy and women’s community and health issues.