Take a note from Oprah’s success story. Source: Story Accents

We recently talked about famous mentor pairs, including Oprah Winfrey and her fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Duncan. It’s no surprise that some of the most successful and influential people in the world can tie the defining moments in their lives back to a strong mentoring relationship. To expand on our celebrity mentorship stories, let’s further discuss the role that Mrs. Duncan, Oprah’s mentor, played in her life.

When Oprah was in the fourth grade, the biggest impact that Mrs. Duncan made on Oprah’s life was to help her to not be afraid of being smart. Not only did she encourage her to read, but Mrs. Duncan frequently stayed after school with Oprah to work with her on assignments, help her to select new and challenging books, and even let her grade papers.

Mrs. Duncan’s relationship to Oprah as a mentor helped her to see the better part of herself that was hidden from her own view. While at the time Oprah wanted to go on to be the best teacher that anyone had ever seen, she accomplished this goal at a much greater level by serving as a teacher and mentor to millions of women across the globe through her extremely successful career as supervising producer and host of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

According to Oprah, “mentors are important and I don’t think anybody makes it in the world without some form of mentorship.” Our team at the Over My Shoulder Foundation couldn’t agree with you more, Oprah. To learn more about celebrity mentorship stories and the impact that a mentoring relationship can have in your life, please contact us at the Over My Shoulder Foundation.