It all started during her visit with Nelson Mandela in December 2000. She promised to build a top school for girls. Two years later (2002), Oprah teamed up with Nelson Mandela and then Minister of Education, Professor Kader Asmai, for “Building a Dream”. Building a dream is Oprah's slogan. She began her rise to fame through the power of media and became the top-rated and award-winning host of her own show, "The Oprah Show," where she bonded for 25 years with her audience. Her success as a global media leader and philanthropist has made her one of the most admired and respected public figures today. Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls is a boarding school founded in January 2007, located in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was designed to help women who are “disadvantaged girls from disadvantaged backgrounds”. Oprah's main goal for the academy was to mentor these underprivileged women academically and help them discover hidden talents to make a difference in their lives. The $40 million Leadership Academy is equipped with a state-of-the-art library that was worth approximately $75,000! The school notably has a complex of 28 buildings including computer and science laboratories, classrooms, dormitories, a wellness center, a hair salon and a theater, all built on a campus of 52 acres. It will enable disadvantaged girls from grades 7 to 12. However, only 152 girls can be seated and have been selected, but the school has received more than three thousand applications. According to New York: Amsterdam News, after reviewing 3,000 applications, Oprah quickly realized that making a choice would not be an easy task. 484 students were invited to take academic and leadership skills tests. Oprah arranged more than 200 interviews, during which television......middle of the newspaper...would offer every girl at the Academy financial aid during her first year of higher education. Mainly with this event, Oprah wanted to share the manifestation of her dream: that when you invest in the education of a girl, you invest in a nation. Additionally, graduating senior Sadé Pietersen gave a moving speech about her experience at the Academy and where she sees herself in the years to come. Now, in 2013, Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy has opened up more opportunities than ever! They visited Michelle Obama at the White House, went to Yale University Spizzwinks and toured America. Latest rumors say that Oprah also wants to attend a co-ed school in South Africa. It's not Oprah's only job, certainly not! She has donated millions of dollars to: Peace over Violence, Free the Children, the Clinton Foundation, the Worldwide Orphans Foundation and many others..