From zero to hero. Shame to fame
Oprah_Winfrey Against all Odds
A story to inspire you
Born Orpah Gail Winfrey; in January 29, 1954. Winfrey's first name was spelled "Orpah" on her birth certificate after the biblical figure in the Book of Ruth, but people mispronounced it regularly as "Oprah". Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a teenage single mother Vernita Lee who was a housemaid. Her conception was due to a single sexual encounter and the couple broke up not long after.
Oprah was so poor that she often wore potato sack dresses, for which the local children made fun of her. She only received her first shoes at the age of six. In her growing up she was molested by her cousin, uncle, and a family friend, starting when she was nine years old, Winfrey ran away from home. When she was 14, she became pregnant but her son was born prematurely and he died shortly after birth.
These obstacles didn’t stop her from using education and sharp conversation skills to her advantage. Going from honors student to been voted “Most Popular”, she also happened to pick up Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant at 17. These accolades led to a full scholarship through college, making her a perfect fit to join a local news network. Her very first TV job did not go well, in fact, it was so bad she was fired and then told she was useless on television!
That didn’t stop her from moving to Chicago to take on a little talk show that would quickly dominate national ratings for decades. Winfrey became a millionaire at the age of 32 when her talk show received national syndication. Winfrey negotiated ownership rights to the television program and started her own production company. At the age of 41, Winfrey had a net worth of $340 million.
Today Oprah is an American media executive, actress, talk show host, television producer and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show. She is the Chairwoman and CEO of Harpo Productions (1986–present) and also Chairwoman, CEO and CCO of the Oprah Winfrey Network (2011–present). With a Net worth of US$ 2.9 billion as of September 2018).
Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African American of the 20th century and North America's first black multi-billionaire, and has been ranked the greatest black philanthropist in American history. She has also been sometimes ranked as the most influential woman in the world.
The moral of this story is always follow your heart and don’t listen to what others say. Never let your past and poverty to hold you from pursuing your dreams. You may have been abused but that should not make you hate yourself or lose hope in life. Oprah overcame her own disadvantaged youth to become a benefactor for others.
By Griffins Mandanda
#You_have_great_potential_within_you
#let_go_of_your_past.
#dream_again
#You_can_do_it_to