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Who
Mentored Oprah Winfrey?
From
her humble beginnings in rural Mississippi, Oprah Winfrey
has established herself as one of the most important
figures in popular culture. Her contributions can be
felt beyond the world of television and into areas such
as publishing, music, film, philanthropy, education,
health and fitness as well as social awareness. As supervising
producer and host of The
Oprah Winfrey Show,
Oprah entertains, enlightens, and empowers millions
of viewers around the world. In 1998, she was named
one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th Century
by Time
magazine.
One
of the defining moments of my life came in the fourth
grade, the year I was Mrs. Duncan's student. What Mrs.
Duncan did for me was to help me to not be afraid of
being smart. She encouraged me to read, and she often
stayed after school to work with me, helping me choose
books and letting me help her grade papers. For many
years after that, I had one goal that I would one day
become a fourth-grade teacher who would win the teacher
award--because I was going to be the best teacher anyone
had ever seen!
Source: The Oprah Winfrey Show
***
A mentor is someone who allows you to see the
hope inside yourself. A mentor is someone who allows
you to know that no matter how dark the night, in the
morning joy will come. A mentor is someone who allows
you to see the higher part of yourself when sometimes
it becomes hidden to your own view.
I think mentors are important and I don't think anybody
makes it in the world without some form of mentorship.
Nobody makes it alone. Nobody has made it alone. And
we are all mentors to people even when we don't know
it.
I recognize that I serve as a mentor to many women.
Because anybody who makes it, anybody who does achieve
any level of success, that says to the rest of the world,
"This is possible." That, to me, is the whole
point of celebridom, that's the whole point of fame,
that's the whole point of notoriety; being able to take
what fame you've been given, what notoriety, take what
accomplishments, and use that in such a way that people
say, "This is possible."
Source:
An interview with Oprah Winfrey on WCVB-TV 5 News CityLine
(Boston, January 13, 2002).
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