Humanitarian, scholar, educator, and author, Dr Tererai Trent is one of the world’s most internationally recognized voices for quality education and women’s empowerment. Distinguished as Oprah Winfrey’s “All-time favorite guest”, Trent is a prominent activist for equal rights to education, her contribution to this cause was born from her own fight against adversity.

Trent was born in Zimbabwe (formally Rhodesia) when poverty, war, and traditional women’s roles denied women the opportunity to attend school. She secretly taught herself to read, and later wrote her dreams, which included getting a bachelor’s degree, a master’s, and a PhD. She then sealed them in a tin can and buried them deep in the ground.