• By
  • Jared A. Favole
Mary Barra, chief executive officer of General Motors , speaks in Detroit earlier this month.

WASHINGTON–Ahead of President Barack Obama‘s State of the Union speech Tuesday, the White House said the guests who will be sitting with First Lady Michelle Obama include the chief executive of General Motors Co., as well as an immigrant brought to the country illegally when he was a child and a woman who helped stop a school shooter.

The State of the Union before Congress will give Mr. Obama his largest audience all year to highlight his agenda and the choice of guests reflects some of his priorities, such as immigration reform.

Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors Co., is among the guests. She is the first woman to lead a large U.S. auto makers.

The White House said Cristian Avila, a 23 year old from Phoenix, will also be sitting with the first lady. He is an All-American scholar but was brought to the U.S. illegally when he was nine years old.

Mr. Obama has been pushing to revamp the immigration system for several years, though no comprehensive effort has passed Congress, where some Republican remain deeply skeptical of the president’s plans. While the president has stepped-up deportations of illegal immigrants he has granted young people brought to the country illegal as children a reprieve from the law.

The White House said Antoinette Tuff, a bookkeeper who prevented a shooting at an elementary school in Atlanta in August, will also join the first lady. The White House said the mother of two talked the shooter down by sharing stories of her own struggles.

“Now, instead of being known for a tragic shooting, August 20, 2013 is remember for one woman’s grace under pressure,” the White House said.

The guests will also include other people who faced national tragedies but became symbols of hope. Two survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing will also be sitting with the first lady. Carlos Arrendondo and Jeff Bauman were both in Boston on the day of the attack. Photographs showed Mr. Arrendondo rushing Mr. Bauman to safety when the bombs went off. Mr. Bauman later lost both of his legs during the attack, but the White House said from his hospital bed played a “vital role” in identifying the bombers.

The White House said it will release the names of more of the planned guests Tuesday.

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