Oprah Winfrey – a powerful and inspiring woman. But it wasn't always like that. Oprah was born on January 29, 1954, her parents divorced before her birth. So growing up for Oprah was difficult, always having to move houses. When Oprah was at her mother's house, it wasn't the safest place. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay At the age of 9, Oprah was raped by her 19-year-old cousin and she was assaulted by friends of the family until the age of 14. When Oprah was 14, she became pregnant, but her baby died. Around the time Oprah was going through all of this, she started blaming herself for the things that had happened to her. As Oprah's depression continued to worsen, she became suicidal and began smoking cocaine to help reduce the pain she was feeling. Oprah went to a young offenders' home after all this hoping she would stop it all. Once she did, she moved in with her grandmother and helped her until she died, and then Oprah's depression returned because she was close to her grandmother. Oprah then had to move in with her father. Her father had very high standards, for example she had to learn 5 words every day before she could eat dinner, she also had to keep her grades very high. Even though the standards were very high, her father knew she could handle them and graduate from high school. Oprah's mother wanted nothing to do with her after she was raped and assaulted, so she turned to her father and grandmother. In high school, Oprah won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. Oprah was also voted Most Popular during her senior year. Oprah won a full scholarship at age 16 to the University of Tennessee after high school. Oprah was offered a job at a radio station while in college. Oprah majored in speech communications and performing arts. But before graduating, she dropped out of school to accept a job offer. Regardless, Oprah has maintained confidence knowing that wherever she goes, she can always get through it. One thing Oprah never let happen was that she never let her past get in the way of achieving her dreams because dreams were what she fought for and to this day, she even helps others to achieve their goals. In 1976, Oprah became a reporter/co-anchor of the evening newscast in Baltimore. Then Oprah was offered a job in Chicago in 1984. In less than a year, Oprah transformed "AM Chicago" into "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Oprah's audience began to grow larger and larger as the show went on. The guests who appeared on the show with Oprah had a connection to her even though they hadn't met yet. This is called the “Oprah Effect.” Oprah talked to people and could make a deep connection. Even with women too. Oprah is very technical, when a woman comes on as a guest she can lean in and make 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 demanded that Oprah have weekly reports on her books so that she could have a high position. Her father may have been strict, but he gave her structure and guidance. Oprah participated in the drama club, debate club, and student council. It was during the Elk Club speaking competition that Oprah won a full scholarship. The following year, Oprah was invited to the White House Conference on Youth. Oprah continued.