Oprah Celebrates South African School's First Graduation

Five years in the making, Oprah celebrates her first graduating class.

Derrick Bryson Taylor Jan, 13, 2012

Oprah may not have any children of her own, she does have 72 girls to be very proud of.

The first class of her South African school, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, celebrates their first graduation tomorrow.

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The school welcomed 75 girls to the program when it opened in 2007, 72 of whom will graduate tomorrow. All of the girls will be going to universities in South Africa and the United States to study medicine, law, engineering and economics, according to the Huffington Post.

Oprah said during today’s pre-graduation celebration, “We’re taking a victory lap here, for transformation. Every single girl is going to leave here with something greater to offer the world than her body.”

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The former daytime queen of talk said it was her dream to change one girl’s life… she’s undoubtedly changed 72 in the process. Her belief rooted in the idea that educating girls helps communities, “because women give back so much,” she said.

As the school shuffles off its first class of graduates into the real world, Oprah opens her arms to several more girls who will start school this coming week.