It was a moment of celebration for Oprah Winfrey as one of her beloved “daughter-girls” earned her doctor of medicine from Stanford University.
On June 17, Winfrey shared a special message dedicated to Bongeka Zuma after attending her graduation, as well as posted a slew of photos and videos from the event.
“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,” Winfrey wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Winfrey added that “one of the great joys” of her life was to see the newly-minted Dr. Zuma walk across that stage.
“Knowing where she’s come from, a small community in KwaZulu-Natal, and how strongly she believed in becoming a doctor,” the media mogul continued. “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! Well done!”
The first video in the slideshow shows Winfrey with Zuma and other “daughter girls” from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in South Africa. Zuma was part of the first graduating class after the school opened in 2007.
When it first opened, the academy received 3,5000 applications from across the country. At the time, it accepted a total of 152 girls.
The boarding school is for girls grades 8-12, with a mission to “raise future leaders who are able to navigate a variety of social and cultural context, and who will remain committed to the development of South Africa, the African continent, and the entire globe,” according to the school’s website. Many of the graduates have gone on to colleges like Harvard, Oxford, and like Zuma, Spelman and Stanford.
Back in 2019, Winfrey spoke about her bond with the girls who attend and have attended the school.
“They’re the daughters I did not have,” Winfrey told People. “I never thought that that mothering instinct was something for me. I like babies, but I like them like, ‘Hi, baby, OK, now go over there.’ I like children when they can actually speak to me and tell what is the problem. This is how having children was supposed to manifest for me.”
The girls also began to call her “Mom O,” a title she was hesitant to take on.
“I did not want their mothers or their legal guardians to think that I was stepping in and trying to take over the role their mom mom holds in their lives,” she said at the time. “I’m very much aware of who I am and what my role is for them.”
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