Thank you for joining me. This is a live blogging session “Building A Dream”. (refresh your page every couple of minutes or so to be updated)

Here we go.

As the show begins, it starts out with a few snippets of Oprah and the Dream Academy. What registers with you is the following quote from Oprah “This is why I was born”

And they give you brief shots of three girls. Thando, Zodwa, Sade. Just a few of the many girls that we will see. Just a few of the many girls that you are inspired by.

Oprah: Women are going to change the face of Africa. I love this country, This is the country of my roots.

Over 3000 applications from all over Africa came in. They narrow it down to just 300 girls.

They come into a scene where Oprah walks into a room of over 300 girls, and Oprah says that tomorrow is going to change your life…

So, the process is full of testing, but what is emphasized as well is the interview process. Oprah does the final interview….

Sade and Megan - they are very close. Ever since they lost their parents, they have been inseparable. Megan is the older sister. Their father shot their mother, and then committed suicide. Yet, you see their radiance, their inner glow, it’s so touching, because you look into their eyes and you just see a brightness.. a light..

By the summer of 2006, it was almost finished.

Zodwa - I wanna be a leader, I wanna be a good example.

I love it that Oprah says, we’re looking for those who have “IT”.

Thando wants to be an actress. “South Africa should have a woman president, because women can multi-task”, her grandmother is her inspiration…

As we move on into the show, we go through some more interviews, one girl asks Oprah “what if we want to go to a university, who will pay for it?”, and as Oprah answers “I will”, the girl smiles, and then starts to tear up a bit. this is education, this is what it truly means to value education, this is their future. I understand why Oprah wanted to start in Africa, because, education in this part of the world, as in so many other places, means life or death.

Mahlatste is the next interview that is featured. Oprah remembers her, because she was the first girl with glasses.

They cut into a scene in which they show Mahlatse’s life. Their house is in one room, they have one bed, no electricity, no indoor plumbing… At night Mahlatse does her homework by candlelight. For dinner, Mahlatse makes porridge for her family and says “Sometimes we go to sleep without eating anything”.

As you see interview after interview, you see each girl trying so hard to be strong despite their circumstances, and it is definitely.. really… putting me to tears… This is why we inspire, this is why we need inspiration, because it can move someone to do such amazing things.

The next scene, Oprah goes back to where she grew up. In Mississippi. She remembers her upbringing and sees so many parallels between her and the girls.

They cut into another scene, in which they are looking into the test scores of the girls.

After the evaluation period, looking into the test scores, and after all the interviews, they invite all the girls back to the location and announce that they have been accepted to the academy. They had all the girls lined up on stage, and as the announcement is made, they burst into cheers, laughter, tears, such noise, such joy….

Oprah: I wanted to have a place that was aesthetically beautiful because I believe when you are surrounded by beauty, it inspires the beauty in you.

This is not just a school, it’s going to be a symbol of leadership all over the world.

The library is going to hold over 10,000 books. They are assigned roommates. They are given new clothes, uniforms, shoes, bags, etc.

It’s not just any other way project, this is special because Oprah literally was part of every decision in building the academy, all the way to the bricks that were used.

The bathroom unveil was a big hit, you have to realize this is the first time in which they have experienced having a real bathroom.

Oprah: “I really feel that I was giving this school to you all, but what you have given me is so much more”

January 2, 2007: The big grand opening. Tina Turner, Spike Lee, sidney portier, India. Arie, Diane Sawyer, and other celebrities and dignitaries come in for the opening. This includes, Nelson Mandela, Oprah’s very own inspiration.

Oprah: This is what I have been coming to all my life. This is a lifetime commitment.

And so the show ends, as they show all the girls in one screen, in their uniforms. A new future. A new hope. This is change. This is powerful. This is inspiration.

Thank you for joining me on this live blogging session, I hope you kept up, and I thank you for giving me a chance to convey this inspirational moment in time. The day we witnessed an academy where our future leaders will have come from.