The events that took place on June 9 were truly life changing and easily some of the most memorable experiences of my life. The highlight of my trip was spending the last day with Oprah Winfrey. She is an incredible woman, and I am forever appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of this experience—four weeks marked by the spirit of giving.  

The first stop that we made was at Philani (pronounced Pulani), a community center for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. We spent time with a few hundred impoverished, but beautiful children.

In old uniforms and worn shoes, the children were poorly dressed for the chilly weather. They were frail, and many of them looked at me with eyes yellow from the lack of essential vitamins. Yet, when we arrived, the DJ began spinning music and the kids started to sing and dance. The children were so full of life. Watching them dance made me want to dance as well. However, when I began to join in, it was apparent that I was not as well versed in the South African dances.

In between watching the kids dance and taking a tour of the facility, I began to talk with the kids about music, sports and movies. It was a great experience to meet children on the other side of the world who were interested in Talib Kweli, Mos Def, 50 Cent, Eminem, and other rappers that I also like.

After singing, dancing and laughing, the program started when Oprah arrived. Three of us—myself, Mark Rainey '05, and Jamison Collier '06—gave uniforms to all of the children. When every child had a uniform, we went to the boys' changing room to help them into their new clothes and shoes.

Afterward, we gave a presentation to the kids, stressing to them how they are the future of the country. The children were so grateful to have the uniforms because they were now able to go to school with confidence—no matter if they came from a one-room shack with no running water, electricity or sewage system.

In South Africa, the children take their education very seriously and the new uniforms truly put them in the mood for learning. Finally, we made a presentation to Oprah on behalf of the six other Morehouse students who traveled to South Africa and were on their way back to the States. We thanked her for the opportunity to travel to South Africa and to meet all of the special people with whom we had come into contact.

After spending time with the kids, the three of us followed Oprah to Sissy's house in Soweto. Sissy is a 16-year-old female who was forced to single-handedly care for six children when her mother, father, older sister and aunt all died of HIV. The children consist of her siblings and her aunt's three children.

It was so touching to see her tell her story and to see the pleasure on her face when Oprah walked through the door. However, seeing all of the tears in her eyes when she talked about the hardships of raising a family while in the 9th grade was hard to bear. I kept saying to myself that, as difficult as it was to watch Oprah interview this girl, this is the real world. People suffer and I needed to see this so that I could fully appreciate the luxuries that I have.

Another very moving moment occurred when we went into an informal settlement, which is usually miles and miles of one- to two-room shacks pieced together with whatever scraps the family can find to make the structure. We went to one of the shacks where nine children lived with their grandmother. The shack was barely the size of a normal full bathroom at my own home. The family was so poor that it was not abnormal for the children to go to bed numerous times during the week without food. We gave the family food that would probably last them a week or two. Though the gift was very small, we knew that this amount of food was something that they were not used to having.

After spending time in the squatter camp, Mark and I went on to Mama Jack's while Jamison went to CNN's Johannesburg studios for a live interview. Mama Jack's is a school of former criminals who are dedicated to rehabilitating themselves. Mama Jack helps them to do so through education and spiritual healing. Many of the students in this facility are rapists and victims of sexual assault.

Mama Jack puts these two opposing sides together in the same class so that they can better understand each other and start the healing process.

When we arrived, the students did a presentation depicting a brutal rape. This powerful presentation was followed by a word by the students discussing the harsh prevalence of rape in South Africa. Next, the women planted flowers representing a new beginning for the rape victims, and the men bowed down and vowed never to touch a woman or child ever again in their lives. Oprah then said a few words discussing what a great program Mama Jack had created and then pledged a gift of $1 million to further its development.

These experiences really put the finishing touch on a trip dedicated to understanding ethical leadership on a global level. South Africa has many emerging leaders who are skilled and driven to do well. However, South Africa still yields a racial and economic divide that makes it very difficult for these emerging leaders to affect change in a world that desperately needs their leadership.

Hopefully, the little bit of giving and interaction with the children we did will inspire these emerging leaders to strive harder and longer to reach their goal. I also hope that the knowledge the nine of us gained on this trip will be well received on our arrival back to the States. Leadership is needed everywhere, because though we may not live in South Africa, the world has become a global village where one country is indeed affected by the next…whether they want to be or not.