Do you know what software inventor Bill Gates, singer Avril Lavigne, actress Julia Roberts and talk show host Oprah Winfrey have in common? They all had troubled childhoods and were considered “geeks” and “misfits” by their classmates. Look around. Could the person sitting next to you be a future celebrity? Here is a look at those celebrities, their beginnings and where they are now, as well as comments from Lipscomb students who find fuel for their souls in the stories of these people.
When he was 8 years old, Bill Gates read the encyclopedia from A to P. So, it’s no wonder he was not particularly popular with his classmates. In his teenage years, he was skinny, shy and awkward, and he used to wake up in the morning dreading going to school. He now wakes up every morning $12 million richer thanks to his Microsoft Corp.
“When I was about 8 years old, I told my mom I wanted to be Bill Gates when I grew up,” said Aaron Spragg, a junior social entrepreneurship major. “She handed me the biggest book we had in our house and told me to start reading. I thought that he was the coolest guy, especially since he donated millions of dollars to charities every year. Not only is he a genius, but he is a good guy too. He is an inspiration and a great role model, and I hope to be able to start my own business one day and be able to mimic some of his qualities.”
Avril Lavigne was considered anything but ordinary. She was a tomboy who played hockey during the winter, baseball in the summer and wore punk-style clothes. She said she never cared about the stares or teasing she received in middle school or what anyone thought about her. She still wears baggy pants and high-top sneakers … while riding high on the charts.
“Avril Lavigne has inspired me because when she sang that song ‘Skater Boi,’ I always dreamed that I could be the boy in that song, this is probably just because I had a huge crush on her but who wouldn’t? She is sensational,” said Lee Wilson, a senior business management major. “She came such a long way from where she was, and I really look up to her because she shows the average person that they can be anything they want to be with hard work and dedication. I had the opportunity of seeing her play in concert once, and it blew my mind how a girl that had such an ordinary upbringing could flourish into the amazing woman I saw before me. She made herself who she is today, and that is truly something to remember in my own life.”
Julia Roberts had a tragic and difficult childhood. When she was just 4, her parents divorced. Then when she was 10, her father died of cancer. She was teased in school because of her thick glasses and big mouth. She now is an award-winning actress who makes more than $20 million per film.
“I had a friend in high school that had a similar upbringing to Julia Roberts. Her family was in shambles by the time she was 12. She now works odd jobs whenever she can get them and has three children,” said Taylor Mason, a senior exercise science major. She predetermined her destiny by the way she was raised, automatically assuming that she would amount to nothing because she watched and learned from the way her parents interacted. Not many turn out like Julia Roberts did, because most think their upbringing determines their own outcome. I wish more people could hear and know Julia Roberts’ story so they could alter their own lives for the better.”
Another famous entertainer who had an unhappy start in life was Oprah Winfrey. She had a splintered childhood, living with many different relatives and in lots of homes. She was sexually abused by male relatives, and she ran away at age 13. She was sent to a juvenile detention center, but was denied admission. She became pregnant and had a miscarriage by age 14 and has always battled a weight problem. Her challenging childhood experiences helped her make television history.
Lipscomb students may not know that her life settled down when she moved to Nashville to live with her father, Vernon Winfrey, who is a local barber and former longtime Metro Councilman. Her first TV success came as a reporter for Channel 5 in Nashville, back when she was attending Tennessee State University. She also is the first African-American woman to become a billionaire. Oprah now donates a lot of her time and money to charitable causes – especially ones that support abused children.
“Oprah is amazing! A woman that can bring herself out of that kind of childhood and use it to her advantage is someone to be seriously recognized,” said Priya Pappu, a senior marketing major. “Not only does Oprah inspire me, I want to be Oprah, just maybe without her childhood. She is so driven, intelligent and unique. What a woman! Everyone should know Oprah’s story.”
Image courtesy of Oprah.com