Our group has decided on one of the richest yet inspiring woman on this earth, and that is none other than Oprah Winfrey. Born on the 29th of January 1954, she spent her childhood years living in her grandmother’s farm and her grandmother taught her how to read at an early age. She soon began to recite poems and Bible verses in local churches. At the age of nine to thirteen, she was constantly molested by a family friend and also relatives when her mother was not around at home. So when she turned fourteen, she was living alone and eventually got herself pregnant. Unfortunately her son passed away shortly after birth. Oprah then went to Nashville, Tennessee to live with her strict father, but the discipline paid off. She was crowned the title “Miss Black Tennessee” and was offered a job at a radio station called WVOL. Oprah was also offered a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. She eventually left school and pursued her career with a local television station as a reporter and anchor. After co-hosting a few talk shows, she stuck with her own talk show – The Oprah Winfrey Show. She discusses about the lives of many who are in desperate help and aids them to a better life. Her talk show can often bring viewers to tears as it shows that although sometimes life can seem so cruel, the world can actually be a beautiful place.
Oprah Winfrey has been involved in numbers of controversies due to her line of work. During 2nd of January 2007, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened in Johannesburg. Iconic people like Nelson Mandela, Tina Turner, Sydney Poitier, Spike Lee and Oprah herself attended a lavish opening ceremony celebrating the landmark boarding school. The school costed $40 million of Oprah's money. Within a year, 6 of the 152 students picked by Oprah herself attend the institution came forward to accuse dorm matron Virginia Tiny Makgobo of sexual and physical abuse. This case has caught a lot media attention in South Africa. In the end the dorm matron was removed from the school after numbers of trials and hearings. Young people tend to follow Oprah’s behaviour in helping the less fortunate. She has inspired many through her talk show especially the young people. Oprah Winfrey makes money from the shows and donates it charity, it’s a good example for the young people. Her early life was filled with bad memories but it was never an excuse for her and she grew from those experiences. Aspects of Oprah’s behaviour made her a role model for the public.
In 1983, Oprah managed to host a low-rated half-hour morning talk show called AM Chicago. Within months after she took over, the show boosted from last place in the ratings to overtaking a well-known show named Donahue as the highest rated talk show. Critic Rodger Ebert’s television show - At the Movies got renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and expanded to a full hour. Winfrey's syndicated show brought in double of Donahue's national audience, displacing Donahue as the number-one daytime talk show in America. So why did Oprah wanted to start on her own? Her goal in life is to live out the truest expression of herself as a human being. For her, it’s equally important to pay attention to the audience because they would express thoughts that are meaningful, worthwhile, and of substance.
Due to Oprah’s enormous success, she has started her own book club, magazine (“O” Magazine), and a talk show. She is also responsible for one of the Three Christmas Kindness in The Nelson Mandela Foundation. She also supported other foundations such as The Moorehouse College, The Harold Washington Library, The United Negro College Fund, The Tennessee State University Fund, The Nelson Mandela Foundation, and Christmas Kindness. Just then, Oprah has become a philanthropist. Sometime later, she started a school in South Africa named The Oprah’s Leadership Academy. She wants the students that attend her school to grow up to be Africa’s future leaders. Oprah has become not just a philanthropist, but a hero in the children’s heart.
In conclusion, why is Oprah Winfrey our chosen idol? It is indeed rare to find a person so strong and proud despite her tragic background; someone who is able to bring out the best in others. She has showed that although a person goes through a lot of hardships, they are able to climb up that ladder once more. As Vanity Fair said, "Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the culture than any university president, politician, or religious leader, except perhaps the Pope.” Without doubt, Oprah Winfrey is our idol; an idol that has made a difference for herself, for her people, for her followers but most importantly for the world.
Post by:
1. Writer: Wong Shu Faye & Au Yang Yong Han
2. Editor: Isabelle Ku
3. Researcher: Alex Low & Amy Loh
Refrences of background and achievements of Oprah Winfrey are found from: Here & here.
Pictures and the video are found on Google.com and YouTube.com
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