A young African lady named Bongeka Zuma who won the renowned American actress, Oprah Winfrey’s scholarship has defied the odds to become an academic scholar in the United States.
Bongeka Zuma was part of the inaugural class at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, established in 2007 in Henley-on-Klip, South African.
According to Winfrey’s official website, it is a tuition-free boarding school that boasts state-of-the-art facilities, including a high-tech computer lab, wellness center, and library housing thousands of books.
The school was founded because Oprah recognized that many students came from challenging backgrounds. She created a robust support system for them, involving teachers, psychologists, and social workers.
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Oprah took to Instagram to celebrate Zuma on earning her doctorate in Medicine. She said that she has been to 22 graduations of different girls from her academy but Zuma’s own is more special.
She stated that Zuma’s graduation is special because Zuma came from her small community in South Africa and persevered to achieve her dream of becoming a Doctor of Medicine.
”I’ve been to 22 graduations for all my daughter-girls who came from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in South Africa to colleges and universities across the United States,” Oprah said.
Before earning her Doctorate in Medicine at Stanford University, Zuma graduated summa cum laude from Spelman College, United States and earned a master’s degree from Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
”This one was extra special. Daughter-girl Bongeka first graduated summa cum laude at Spelman, then she got her master’s degree at Oxford, and this weekend she received her hard-earned Doctor of Medicine from Stanford University,” Oprah said.
Oprah said she was excited to have seen Zuma walk across a stage to receive her doctorate degree because she saw her unwavering determination to become a doctor and she is glad Zuma achieved it.
”She never gave up, and with a support team of good friends, fellow OWLAG sisters and professors, we all celebrated her achievement with great pride. Congratulations, Dr. Zuma. Well done,” she said.
Zuma’s mother, Nokubonga Zuma, described her daughter as their pride and joy. She mentioned that her daughter’s life changed for the better when she enrolled at the academy.
“Bongeka has always been smart and her teachers at Blessed Launda Primary School said she should be taken to a better school but we had nothing and could not afford to,” Nokubonga said.
“I was so happy that Oprah Winfrey was able to attend Bongeka’s graduation. I don’t know how I can thank ma Oprah,”she added.
Zuma said witnessing the negative impacts of inadequate healthcare resources in her community inspired her to pursue a career in healthcare. She recalled seeing people in her community die from easily preventable or treatable conditions.
”When I was in grade six, I came home to find my grandmother dead on the sofa.She was sick and our neighbour had been taking care of her and I just never understood why our neighbors and family members assume the role of being doctors to people who should be taken care of by professionals,” Oprah said.
”I came to the conclusion that it’s because they had no other option, no choice. And this was because of the poor health resources. Witnessing this injustice sparked an interest in the healthcare field for me,” she added.
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