About Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey is a talk show host, a media executive, a billionaire philanthropist, and of course not too many people know that she is an actress. She is popularly known for being the host of her own, Talk Show program (the Oprah Winfrey Show). The show aired for 25 long years. After which she launched her own TV network called the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

To put it simply, there are so many people today who look up to Oprah. She’s a symbol of the socio-economic growth and social power of Black women in society. Despite being a Black female, Oprah is one of the most powerful and influential human beings on Earth. She’s being regarded as a titan. She’s seen as a role model because of her impoverished upbringing and her billionaire status. Her show demonstrated the potential of daytime television, and naturally, lots of folks followed suit. She’s an important part of ‘90s pop culture. Plus that, Oprah, has a knack for talking to people. She really knows how to command a crowd. When she talks, people listen. That’s why she was so successful on TV, even before her show began.

The broadcast was known as a celebrity chat show in the early years of The Oprah Winfrey Show. In the mid-1990s, Winfrey followed a less tabloid-oriented style, presenting programs on wider subjects such as heart disease, geopolitics, faith and yoga, engaging celebrities on social issues with which they were directly involved, such as aids, charity work or substance abuse, and delivering television presents, including shows where each audience member received a new vehicle (donated by Gene).

Winfrey’s company also founded the Oprah.com platform to provide tools and interactive content linked to its programs, newspapers, book club and public welfare. Oprah.com generates more than 70 million page views and more than six million visitors each month and gets nearly 20,000 e-mails per week.

On 9 February 2006, it was reported that Winfrey had negotiated a three-year, $55 million deal with XM Satellite Radio to set up a new radio station.

Oprah Winfrey Fellowships

The African women’s Public Service Fellowship is made possible by kind donations from the Oprah Winfrey Foundation. The fellowship expands the opportunity for African women to impact public service in their native countries. The fellowship provides full tuition, housing, fees, travel to and from the United States, and also a small stipend to cover for books and miscellaneous expenses. The winners of the Fellowship are dedicated to returning to their respective home countries at the end of the program to take a leading position on the continent where they can make a significant contribution to the issues currently facing Africa.

The fellowship is only open to degree-seeking students. However advanced technical and non-degree programs are not available to this fellowship.

Fellowship Criteria

• Must have demonstrated commitment to public service
• Must be a citizen and resident in an African country at the time of application
• Must have a strong academic record
• An NYU Wagner education would significantly enhance your ability to have a deep and lasting impact on public service issues in your home country and region.

How to Apply

• The first thing to do is to submit your Fellowship Application Essay along with your online application to NYU Wagner for fall 2020. The Fellowship Application Essay is included in the fellowship section of the online application. There is not a separate application. Fellowship applicants must also submit the one-minute video essay required by the application to be considered.
• Those that are selected as fellowship semi-finalists will be invited to participate in Skype interviews with the fellowship selection committee in early – to – mid-February.

Oprah Winfrey Scholarships

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academic Scholarship for girls in South Africa admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programmes and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the academy. The Leadership Academic Scholarship does not discriminate based on ethnicity, color, national and ethnic origin in the implementation of its education policies, recruitment practices, scholarship and loan schemes, sporting, educational, and residential and other school-run programmes. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls–South Africa is a private boarding school for 300 students applied in Grades 8-12.

The Academy teaches the International Middle Years Baccalaureate Program (IB MYP) in Grades 8–10. Grade 12 students write NSC Examination to the Independent Examination Board (I.E.B.).

Available Programmes

• MPA Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy
• MPA Health Policy and Management
• Master of Urban Planning
• EMPA Public Service Leaders

Eligibility

The student who qualifies to apply for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Scholarship is girls who;

• Are currently in Grades 7, 8 or 9
• Who display leadership potential
• Are South African or permanent residents
• Are from a family whose total income is less than $5000

In conclusion, Oprah Winfrey is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in the world today, impacting people especially women from various ethnicity and background. She is one we would refer to as a living icon because there are many people, especially young girls who still benefit from her philanthropic efforts.