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Winfrey stressed that the most important contribution these graduates can make in the real world is \"touching other people's lives.\"

She also had words of wisdom on overcoming failure and finding one's true purpose.

\"For years I had a job. Through that job, doing a lot of things I didn't want to do, I got demoted and discovered my life's calling,\" she admitted of her early days working in news. \"Many times there are things that look like failure in your life...it will pass. You will be fine.\"

\"The bumps in the road led me to a path made clear, and that is what I wish for you today -- that your path is made clear,\" she added.

\"Many times there are things that look like failure in your life..it will pass. You will be fine.\" - @Oprah #coloradocollege2019

— Colorado College (@ColoradoCollege) May 19, 2019

Winfrey came to speak at Colorado College because of 19-year-old Palesa Mokoena, a student guided by the game-changing businesswoman via her Leadership Academy. The young woman, who hails from South Africa, calls Winfrey \"Mom O.\"

“She has been an incredible mentor to me, and her promise to Nelson Mandela to build a school in South Africa changed the trajectory of my life. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls is the greatest gift to my country and to me. For that, I am eternally grateful,” Mokoena said.

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