The famous US media executive Oprah Winfrey has revealed why she was unable to graduate from Tennessee State University in 1975.
Winfrey stated at her alma mater’s 2023 graduation ceremony on Saturday that juggling school and work left her “one credit short” and unable to graduate on time.
According to the Associated Press, Winfrey said she lived in East Nashville with her father while attending college and presented weekend news on a Black radio station.
She stated that it was during this period that she met with the lead anchor of the local CBS television affiliate, who asked her if she wanted a job.
“I said, No sir. TV? Not really, sir, because my father says I have to finish school, and school is just too important,” she recalled.
Winfrey said she discussed it with her scene design professor who in turn spoke with her father before she accepted the job.
The TV star said it was during her senior year in 1975 she discovered she was a credit short and would not graduate.
She added that her father pressured her to “get that degree”.
Winfrey said she eventually obtained her degree in 1988 after she was allowed to write the paper.
“So I got my degree from Tennessee State, right around the time I got my third Emmy,” she added.
“Every right move I’ve made has come from listening deeply and following that still, small voice. You begin to know your own heart and figure out what matters most.”
