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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Aug 22, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Talk show host Oprah Winfrey traveled to South Africa to select the first 73 girls to attend the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.
"It's my tomorrow," Winfrey said Buhle Zulu, 11, told her during the Sunday ceremony revealing she would be part of the inaugural class at the $24.5 million school south of Johannesburg, The Pretoria News reported.
Winfrey said the academy fulfills one of her dreams to help poor communities. She said the school will give underprivileged girls a chance to attend the world's best universities.
"They will grow up to help their families and their communities," Winfrey said.
She has been traveling across South Africa, interviewing more than 3,000 girls who applied for a spot in the school, the newspaper said.
By the time she is finished, 150 seventh and eighth graders will be walking through the doors when it officially opens in January.
"I come from a disadvantaged background," Winfrey said. "I was raised by my grandmother. I have been blessed through education."
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
