Oprah a proud Momma as first Academy students graduate - Week 2

In 2007, she had hand-picked all these students as she established the $40 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls to provide world-class high school education to underprivileged children from South Africa and teach them leadership skills. Five years later, the 71 graduates of the class of 2011 -- all high-achieving young girls who had experienced poverty and personal trauma such as violence, molestation, or loss of a parent -- have all been accepted to continue their studies at universities in South Africa and the United States.