Second Lady Usha Vance is on a mission and it has nothing to do with politics. Instead, it’s about pages, focus, and helping kids rediscover the quiet power of reading.

In a gym full of distractions, she struck a powerful chord

While Vice President JD Vance hit the campaign trail across Georgia, his wife Usha Vance was just a few miles away, standing before a crowd of wide-eyed schoolchildren, asking a question that hit home: “How many of you get distracted by your phones?”

Nearly every hand in the gym shot up.

“It’s hard for everyone,” she said gently. “Even I struggle with it.”

Usha, a poised but down-to-earth presence, was visiting Cherokee Classical Charter School in Atlanta to promote her “Summer Reading Challenge.” The initiative urges kids to read 12 books by September and rewards them with a signed certificate and surprise prize from the Second Lady’s office. Some lucky winners will be selected to travel to Washington, D.C.

With a warm smile, she handed out bookmarks, visited classrooms, and read The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere aloud to 200 eager students, all while fielding sweet questions like “What’s it like to be Second Lady?” and “What are your favorite books?”

Her answer? The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder — a nod to childhood adventure, family values, and simpler times.

A message for parents too: focus is a muscle

Speaking to The Daily Wire after the event, Vance got candid about her own struggles with screen time and how it’s reshaping how children, including her own, experience the world.

“I get distracted and pulled away all the time when I have a phone around me,” she said. “We have to actively fight that.”

Her solution? Old-school focus. Whether it’s reading, outdoor time, or hands-on projects, Usha wants kids to do more of what can’t be interrupted by a push notification.

“Reading is maybe the most important of all,” she said. “Because when you can focus for hundreds of pages, you can do anything.”

It’s a message she’s living at home, too. Her eight-year-old son is “a total bookworm,” having recently finished The Hobbit and is even reading Indian epics like The Mahabharata, alongside re-reading the Percy Jackson series. Meanwhile, her middle child is all about dinosaur encyclopedias, and her youngest, Mira, is not a reader yet.

A quiet partner to a rising political star

While JD Vance spent Thursday stumping for “working families tax cuts,” Usha was building something quieter: connection, trust, and inspiration among the next generation.

The couple had flown into Georgia together that morning, sharing a kiss before heading to separate events. It’s a small glimpse into a marriage that balances high-profile ambition with thoughtful, purposeful engagement.

And while she rarely talks politics, Usha’s values shine clearly through her work.

“We want every child to know that reading opens doors,” she said. “Not only to education, but to imagination, opportunity, and achievement.”

Thursday’s visit was one of six Summer Reading Challenge events, and perhaps her last of the summer, ending on a high note with laughter, curious questions, and the quiet belief that turning a page can still change a life.