Tererai Trent

Tererai Trent, PhD, is a senior consultant with more than 18 years of international experience in professional program and policy evaluation. Her work has taken her to five continents, including working for the major global humanitarian organization Heifer International as a Deputy Director for Planning and Evaluation. In addition to having extensive evaluation expertise, Dr. Trent is a motivational and informative speaker. Her message is compelling precisely because it is enriched by her experiences of growing up in rural Africa. Her humble eloquence and rich authenticity leave audiences with a lasting impression of what it means to overcome humble beginnings and to achieve one's dreams.

After 25 years and more than 30,000 guests, Oprah Winfrey chose Tererai Trent as "her all-time favorite guest." Because of her amazing never-give-up attitude (as indicated by her personal story of growing up in poverty) and her desire to give back to others, Dr. Trent's life is an inspiration and a lesson in perseverance.

Almost two decades ago in her village in Zimbabwe, Tererei Trent met a woman who would profoundly impact her life: Jo Luck, President and CEO of Heifer International. Luck helped Tererei believe that she could achieve her dreams of an education when she said, "If you believe in your dreams, they are achievable." Taking that as her inspiration, Tererei wrote down her dreams of achieving a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and then the almost insurmountable goal of obtaining her doctoral degree on a piece of paper, sealed them in a tin can, and buried them under a rock. In doing so, she became her own dream keeper and broke down the vicious cycle of poverty in her life.

After years of hard work earning her bachelor's and master's degrees while raising a family, Dr. Trent achieved each of her buried dreams, and now hopes to improve life for others through her work as a program evaluator and public speaker, and—with $1.5 million assistance from Oprah—by helping to build a school in her home village in Zimbabwe so that many other children have the opportunity to get an education. Dr. Trent now holds a doctoral degree in interdisciplinary evaluation.

Tererai Trent has been a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show twice, where she has reached millions with her powerful messages of never giving up on your goal, and the importance of education and women's empowerment. Dr. Trent was also featured in Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a New York Times bestseller written by columnist Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.