"Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the culture than any university president, politican or religious leader, except perhaps the Pope."

- Vanity Fair

Despite the current controversy involving an abusive dorm matron at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, it is clear that Oprah's South African school will rebound and, therefore, positively benefit the lives of underprivileged young girls in the long run. Statistically, South Africa has some of the highest child rape rates in the world so the chances for child abuse to occur is higher in South Africa than any other place in the world.

With Oprah back in the recent limelight and distraught over the sexual child abuse in South Africa, one cannot forget how psychologically difficult it is for her to cope with issues of feeling responsible for the girls, since she herself experienced abuse as a child, according to an Oprah Winfrey biography.

Oprah was sexually abused starting at the age of nine by a cousin, uncle and a family friend. She had a tumultuous childhood, teeter-tottering on the edge of complete failure. Through hard work, she fought the odds and has grown to become a philanthropist billionaire, cultural icon, and one of the most influential women of our time.

The Oprah Winfrey Show is currently reigns as the most popular talk show on television. Since 1986, the Oprah Winfrey Show has been hugely popular with females accounting for 75% of her viewing population. Years after the beginning of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah co-founded the women's cable television network Oxygen. She currently publishes two magazines O, the Oprah Magazine and O at Home. Oprah also has a famous book club called the Oprah Book Club which has been mentioned on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah recognizes unknown authors, as well as resurrected classics, immediately placing them onto the bestseller's list, such as John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden.

Also covered on the Oprah Winfrey Show was The Secret. Australian Rhonda Byrne was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show discussing with Oprah The Secret which basically is the "Law of Attraction" or "like attracts like". According to Rhonda, "if you follow its philosophy you can create the life you want.

On the Oprah Winfrey Show, Rhonda stated "What we do is we attract into our lives the things we want, and that is based on what we're thinking and feeling".

Though there have been many criticisms about the book and the Oprah Winfrey Show because they did not discuss the hard work it takes in attaining a goal, one thing is certain: research has shown that positive thinking can effect a person's physiological reactions and interaction with the environment.

Perhaps, it's a given that it takes hard work and positive thinking to achieve the "Law of Attraction". After all, the perfect role model who worked hard in order to persevere from the lowest point of poverty and child abuse was Oprah herself. Though Oprah is currently devastated by the news of abuse at her school, the girls in South Africa truly couldn't have had a more inspiring role model.