Oprah Winfrey: Why I couldn’t graduate from varsity on time

Oprah Winfrey, the famed US media executive, has recalled why she could not graduate from Tennessee State University in 1975.

Speaking at the 2023 graduation ceremony of her alma mater on Saturday, Winfrey said combining school with a job made her “one credit short” and she was unable to graduate at the right time.

According to AP, Winfrey said she lived with her father in East Nashville while attending college and presenting weekend news at a Black radio station.

She said it was at that time she met with the lead anchor of the local CBS television affiliate, who asked 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.”