First class to matriculate from Oprah Leadership Academy

The 72 girls of the class of 2011 have handled South Africa's traditional matric exam hype and stress extremely well, says Anne van Zyl, head of the academy. "This is, of course, an extra special time for the school as well as the girls. This year marks an important milestone in bringing to fruition the vision of our founder, Oprah Winfrey. In just five years the academy has established itself as a place that nurtures talent and excellence. As a school we've come through some important challenges and learned lessons along the way."

Ten students will study in US

Most of the academy's matric class have confirmed their tertiary education plans for 2012. A total of 15 students will attend the University of Cape Town, seven will attend Wits University, 13 the University of Johannesburg, 21 Rhodes University, nine the University of Pretoria, one will study at Stellenbosch University, one the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, three the Tshwane University of Technology and one the Cape Town University of Technology.

Admission to colleges in the US will be finalised only in the first few months of 2012, but ten of the students are set to study there. Two girls have applied to Wellesley College in Massachusetts, the same university attended by Hilary Clinton. Five have applied to Spelman College in Georgia, two to Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina, one to Smith College in Massachusetts and one to Mt Holyoke College in Massachusetts.