2 Colorado Women Invited To State Of The Union By First Lady

DENVER (CBS4/AP) - Two women from Colorado are among those invited to Washington to attend President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

The White House said University of Colorado student Mahala Greer and Lorelei Kilker of Brighton would be seated in the first lady's box Tuesday evening.

Greer grew up in Paonia and introduced Obama when he spoke to CU students in October about his plans to reduce student loan debt. The administration says Greer will have more than $35,000 in student loans when she graduates and joins Teach for America as a bilingual teacher.

"It was pretty unbelievable. I got the call on Thursday evening and I was just over the moon about it," Greer told CBS4.

Kilker is an analytical chemist for an environmental laboratory. The White House says she was part of a group of women who benefited from a settlement with a former employer over sex discrimination allegations.

"You know there really aren't words. It's overwhelming and it's an honor to have been selected to be a part of this amazing thing that's going to happen," Kilker told CBS4.

The president created the Equal Pay Task Force 2 years ago. Since then the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has secured $50 million for victims of sex-based wage discrimination and made changes to workplace practices.

The two women are getting a tour of the White House before they attend the State of the Union address.

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