MINNEAPOLIS — A rural New Ulm girl has finally met her political hero, President Barack Obama.

Sixteen-year-old Myra Soukup and her family greeted Obama when the president arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Friday.

Myra’s mother, Jane, said that her daughter has had her eye on Obama since she was in sixth grade. She says her daughter “really adores” the president.

The Soukup family was in the crowd waiting for Obama’s arrival. Obama came over to the Soukups and signed a framed portrait of the president that Myra had received for Christmas a couple of years ago.

Myra was born with CHARGE syndrome, a genetic disorder that has resulted in her having 50 surgeries. She is a sophomore at St. Mary’s High School in Sleepy Eye.