Oprah Winfrey: A Powerful and Inspirational Woman. It wasn't always like this though. Oprah was born on January 29, 1954, her parents divorced before her birth. So growing up for Oprah was difficult, always having to move house. When Oprah was at her mother's house it wasn't the best of security. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAt age 9, Oprah was raped by her 19-year-old cousin and was molested by family friends until she was 14. When Oprah was 14, she became pregnant, but her baby died. During that time when Oprah was going through all of this, she began to blame herself for the things that happened to her. Oprah's depression continued to worsen, she began to commit suicide and began smoking cocaine to reduce the pain she was going through. Oprah went to a young offenders' institution after all this hoping it would stop it all. Once that was done, she moved in with her grandmother and helped her until she died, then Oprah's depression returned because she was close to her grandmother. Oprah then had to move in with her father. His father had very high standards, for example he had to learn 5 words every day before having dinner, he also had to keep his grades very high. Although the standards were really high, his father knew he could make it and graduate from high school. Oprah's mom wanted nothing to do with her after she was raped and molested, so she turned to her dad and grandmother. During high school, Oprah won the “Miss Black Tennessee Beauty Pageant.” Oprah was also voted most popular in her senior year, Oprah won a full scholarship when she was 16 to attend Tennessee University after high school. Oprah was offered a job at a radio station during college. Oprah majored in speech communications and performing arts. But before graduation, he dropped out of college to accept a job offer. No matter what Oprah continues to be confident knowing that where she is going she will always be able to benefit. One thing that Oprah never let happen is that she never let her past get in the way of what her dreams were because dreams were what she fought for and to this day she helps others come true too. In 1976, Oprah became a reporter/co-anchor on the evening news in Baltimore. Then Oprah was offered a job in Chicago in 1984. Just under a year later Oprah turned "AM Chicago" into "The Oprah Winfrey Show." He then took his place. Oprah's audience started to get bigger and bigger thanks to the show. Guests who showed up on the show with Oprah had a connection to her even if they hadn't met yet. It's called the "Oprah effect", Oprah talks to people and manages to achieve a deep connection. Even with women. Oprah is very technical, when a woman comes in as a guest she can reach down and grab a connection. Unlike other women, Oprah also connects with younger girls who have questions about life and growing up. With the help of Oprah's father, he asked Oprah to have weekly book reports so that she could be on top. Her father may have been strict, but he gave her structure and guidance. Oprah participated in drama club, debate club, and student council. That's where Oprah won a full scholarship at the Elk Club speaking competition. The following year Oprah was invited to the White House Youth Conference. Oprah continued with her work and never gave up on her dreams, even though there was a lot to do as a teenager. While.