 | This article contains too many or overly lengthy quotations. (June 2011) |
| Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls | |
|---|---|
 Sign at the academy entrance – April 2015 | |
| Location | |
 | |
South Africa | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent Secondary School[1] |
| Established | January 2007[2] |
| Superintendent | Gugu Ndebele (executive director)[3] |
| Faculty | 33[1] |
| Grades | 8 to 12 |
| Enrollment | 322 |
| Website | www.owlag.co.za |
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa (OWLAG) is a boarding school for girls, grades 8–12, in Henley on Klip, Gauteng Province, South Africa.26°32′49″S 28°03′19″E / 26.54694°S 28.05528°E The school is a project begun by the American entrepreneur and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey in 2002, after discussion with former South African president Nelson Mandela in 2000. OWLAG opened in 2007, and its inaugural class of 72 girls graduated in 2011.
Inspired by her own disadvantaged childhood, Winfrey stated that she founded the Leadership Academy to provide educational and leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls from impoverished backgrounds in South Africa who exhibited leadership qualities for making a difference in the world.[4] She wanted to help girls who grew up like her, "economically disadvantaged, but not poor in mind or spirit".[5]
The school teaches the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) curriculum writes the South African National Senior Certificate.
In May 2021, Lindiwe Tsope became the first graduate of the Academy to be awarded a PhD.[6]
- ^ a b "Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa in Randvaal, Gauteng". Caps 123, June 19, 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls Celebrates New Graduates". Oprah.com. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Meet our team". OWLAG. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Reaching out: South African school for girls born out of Oprah's need to "feel" a connection.[permanent dead link] (2 January 2007). The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 10 January 2007.
- ^ Bill Clinton. Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World Page 18
- ^ "A graduate from Oprah Winfrey's school in South Africa just became the first to get a PhD". Vicky McKeever, CNBC, May 7, 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.