How Did Tennessee State Alum Oprah Become So Rich From Nothing?

How did Oprah Winfrey, who is a graduate of HBCU Tennessee State University in Nashville, become so rich from scratch?

One could argue hard work, discipline and an incredible work ethic. Well, at least, that is the easy answer to a question that many wish to reinvent for themselves.

According to Forbes, the TV mogul is worth an estimated $3 billion and is listed as the number 2 richest self-made women in the United States in 2016, among other accolades.

    

From focusing on her studies at Tennessee State and competing in beauty pageants, to working at a local radio station, to finally getting her big break as the host of her own daytime talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah shared some tips on how we, too, can create wealth.

“The whole idea, I think, of having wealth is not to letting wealth use you but you use it,” she said in a 2001 tapping of The Oprah Winfrey Show. “Being a person who has come from an outhouse, and very poor circumstances, I can assure you that the more money you get, it really doesn’t change you — unless you are the kind of person who is defined by money.”

The lesson is, make the money, do not let it make you.