Biden, 73, is the first woman to continue working outside the White House while serving as first lady. She began teaching in northern Virginia in 2009 when her husband Joe Biden was elected vice president. Even after his term ended in 2017, she continued to commute to the college to teach.

“Being your first lady has been the honor of my life. But being your colleague has been the work of my life,” she said during a virtual event with teachers. “I will always love this profession, which is why I continued to teach full time while serving as your first lady.”

Seated alongside Jill Biden were teachers union presidents Randi Weingarten from the American Federation of Teachers and Becky Pringle from the National Education Association. Both unions endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the November election.

Jill Biden left the door open to continue teaching, as she did not refer to the announcement as a full retirement. Shortly before she began teaching at Northern Virginia Community College, she earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of Delaware. 

The Bidens are preparing to leave the White House after their first term. This comes after the first lady helped her husband on his campaign and pivoted to campaigning for Harris.

Jill Biden has released three children’s books since 2012, including Willow, The White House Cat, Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops, and Joey: The Story of Joe Biden.