because we knew you

this was the week, the finale of the oprah winfrey show.  i can honestly say that i remember the oprah show back in the day.  i remember the various hairstyles, the opening theme songs, the sets, and many of the memorable episodes.  then i went through an anti-oprah phase, for a reason i'm unsure of.  but when season 25 kicked off, the final season, i knew that it was bound to be a season worth watching.  we set up the dvr to record the oprah show each morning at 9am (one of the perks of being in chicago...we get to watch it first!).  and as the number of episodes were counted down, we waited in anticipation of the two-episode surprise show that was taped at the united center.  though there were many touching moments, none struck me as much as the one celebrating and honoring oprah's dedication to education.

two longtime friends of oprah's, gayle king and maria shriver, came onto stage and talked about the good that oprah has done, but none were as important to her as education.  oprah has helped create better libraries for public schools, started a girl's school in south africa, and on and on.  and one of the greatest gifts that oprah has provided was the ability for individuals to go to college.  in 1990, oprah provided full-ride scholarships to striving students who were struggling to attend moreshouse college. what started with providing scholarships to 100 men turned into 415 recipients of the oprah winfrey scholarship.

to honor her dedication and the change she brought to these men, kristen chenoweth performed the song "for good" from the musical wicked.  and during her performance, the men of morehouse college, the recipients of the scholarship flooded the stage.



i couldn't help myself from crying.

while finding this video, i learned that in honor of oprah's dedication to education, the men who received the scholarship from oprah provided $300,000 of their own money to educate other deserving moreshouse men.