Dr. Tererai Trent
(1965 – )
Educator
Dr. Tererai Trent is a scholar, humanitarian, motivational speaker, educator, author, and founder of Tererai Trent International.
In 2011 Oprah revealed her all-time favorite guest—and it was Dr. Tererai Trent!
As a young girl in rural Zimbabwe, Tererai lived without running water and electricity. Although she was desperate to learn, she only attended two terms of school before she was forced to marry at age 11. In 1991, Tererai met a woman from Heifer International and told her what her greatest dream was: to move to America and get her PhD. The woman looked at Tererai and said, “If you desire those things, it is achievable.” Tererai’s mother later encouraged her to write her dreams down, so Tererai wrote them on piece of paper, placed them in a tin box and buried them under a rock.
Rooted in humble beginnings, Tererai grew up in a cattle-herding family in rural Zimbabwe, in a country known as Rhodesia under colonial rule, where cultural practices and a war that liberated her country charted the course of her life. Due to traditional women’s roles and cultural norms, Tererai did not have the opportunity to go to school. Undeterred, she still dreamed of an education and determinedly taught herself to read and write from her brother’s schoolbooks.
Currently an adjunct professor in Monitoring & Evaluation in Global Health at Drexel University, School of Public Health, Dr. Trent is a senior consultant with more than 18 years of international experience in program and policy evaluation, and has worked on five continents for major humanitarian organizations. As a fellow at the Center of AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) at UC San Francisco, Dr. Trent conducted research on HIV prevention in Sub Saharan Africa with a special focus on women and girls.
Motivational Quote:
If you believe in your dreams, they are achievable.
5 Success Lessons
to learn from Dr. Tererai Trent
- Write your own dreams.
- Start daily rituals that ground you.
- Surround yourself with people who energize you.
- Maintain a never-give-up attitude.
- Dont’ be a victim; be part of the solution.
Sources: tererai.org oprah.com
