Oprah’s South African School Graduates First Round of Students

The TV mogul spent over $40M to build school for young girls

Oprah Winfrey's school in South Africa that caters to girls is set to graduate their first round of students.

All 72 young women studying at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls has been accepted into universities in South Africa or the United States and many have won scholarships to aid them, the Washington Post reports.

After spending more than $40 million dollars to build a campus that includes a computer and science lab along with a wellness center, Winfrey is ready to hand diplomas to the young women at the graduation ceremony in January.

Winfrey's girls-only boarding school, where no student paid tuition, was built in 2007 in Henly on Kip, South Africa. Celebrities including Mariah Carey, Sidney Poitier and Nelson Mandela were on hand at the school's opening day.

The school has been successful in educating despitee several controversies. One involved a student who was accused of molesting the girls. The teacher was later acquitted. Another controversy occurred when a student there birthed a baby, who was later found dead. Each made national headlines.