The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) in South Africa is entering a new phase. Founded from conversations between Oprah and Nelson Mandela, the boarding school opened in 2007 with a mission to empower young women through free education. Over 1,000 students have graduated, with many becoming doctors, lawyers, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
“Every corner of the campus was filled with so much love and care and detail,” recalls 2012 graduate Andronica, now a senior engineering lead at Meta. “OWLAG convinced me that preparation, character, and purpose mattered more than where I came from.”
After the 2027 academic year, the residential campus will be returned to South Africa’s Gauteng Department of Education, as originally planned. Current students will continue to receive full support. The department will carry forward the school’s legacy.
Oprah insists this is not an end. “[The dream] continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education,” she says. “I’m excited that this next chapter will allow us to reach even more young women across South Africa.”
The ripple effect is already visible. As alumna-turned-CEO Kirsten puts it, “If you change one woman’s life, she’ll go on to change her children’s lives, her community’s lives. And that will have a ripple effect.”
For OWLAG, the next chapter is just beginning.