Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program 2022-23
The Morehouse College Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program continues to thrive thanks to generous gifts from Ms. Oprah Winfrey and the support of the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation. Ms. Winfrey’s gifts to Morehouse College, totaling $25 million, have supported the educations of over 750 Men of Morehouse and allowed hundreds to travel to South Africa as participants in the Oprah Winfrey South Africa Leadership Program. During the 2022-23 academic year, 51 Oprah Winfrey Scholars, including 13 freshmen, nine sophomores, 11 juniors, and 18 seniors, participated in the program.
The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program (OWSP) provides a scaffolded set of leadership development and service experiences for scholars. All students participated in monthly community-building activities and attended the Andrew Young Center’s Leadership Lecture Series. In addition to program-wide activities, sophomores, juniors, and seniors served our community through mentoring or academic coaching. Freshmen scholars participated in professional development sessions and social justice discussions. Sophomores participated in a professional development series focused on academic success and planning for graduate school, and seniors produced the More Conversations social justice podcast and created a capstone project.
Special events this year included the August 2022 Leadership Retreat, Martin Luther King Day of Service, Microsoft Headquarters Tour and Panel Discussion, and OWSP/SMASH Book Study. The year ended with the Program’s annual Graduation Celebration, a time for honoring graduating seniors and for seniors to share their senior capstone project.
Oprah Winfrey Scholars - Serving the Community
The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program is committed to empowering our neighbors in the West End of Atlanta and other local communities. The program partners with educational and other organizations to provide service experiences for Oprah Winfrey scholars that allow them to positively impact the community. During the 2022-2023 academic year, Oprah Winfrey sophomores, juniors, and seniors served at Booker T. Washington High School, @Promise Centers, and H.J. Russell West End Academy.
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Booker T. Washington High School is located just blocks from the Morehouse College campus. The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program goal to develop community leaders through service makes our partnership with Washington High School ideal. The vision of Washington High School is to be "an inspired place where character is power, and the next generation of legacy builders are learning to impact and expand the beloved community locally and globally." Oprah Winfrey scholars make lasting impact as they tutor neighborhood high school students. At Booker T. Washington High School, Oprah Winfrey scholars serve as tutors and teaching assistants supporting classroom instruction.
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The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program continued a successful partnership with @Promise Centers. @Promise is a multi-service community youth organization sponsored by the Atlanta Police Foundation. With several centers located on the westside of Atlanta, the centers provide wrap-around services to neighborhood youth, including an after-school program, GED preparation, and behavioral health services. Oprah Winfrey scholars supported three initiatives at the centers: At-Promise At-Work, a job readiness program focused on 18-24-year-olds, GED Prep for 18-24 year olds, and the after-school program. Scholars became part of the network of support offered by @Promise to youth in the “West End” of Atlanta, the neighborhood that is home to Morehouse College.
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During the 2022-23 academic year, the Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program renewed its partnership with Russell West End Academy, our neighbor middle school, to offer academic support and mentoring to students at the school. Scholars provided in-class academic assistance and facilitated after-school activities. In the after-school programming, scholars launched two initiatives, Barbershop Talks and Fashion Club.
Barbershop Talks, facilitated by senior Oprah Winfrey scholars and led by Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program alum, Micah Holmes, focused on building relationships of substance and providing safe spaces for young men to discuss their lives. Barbershop Talks hosted special guests to support sessions on entrepreneurship, leadership, individuality, and maneuvering difficult conversations around race.
Fashion Club encouraged self-expression through style. Fashion Club engaged students in discussions about style and the notion of individuality expressed through clothing. Participants engaged in hand-on-workshops, such as screen-printing and sewing.
