00:00Hi everybody. I can't believe I'm saying this. Thank you to Queen Latifah for that
00:10beautiful introduction. You know it's only fitting that when you get a power
00:17of women award that you have a powerful woman introducing you and and law as some
00:29of us get to call her. She's the epitome of a woman that is operating in her full
00:39authority and that's why she's literally the Queen. So thank you. Thank you.
00:50I'm incredibly humbled to be in this amazing group of honorees tonight and
00:55frankly amongst all of you in this room especially my mother and my daughter who
01:03are here tonight.
01:10Oprah Winfrey whose footsteps I'm honored to follow in and receiving this award. She
01:24I'm gonna ask you all the same question. What do you know for sure? There are three
01:34things I know for sure. First, no one achieves anything alone. I've had the
01:42benefit of a loving family, a supportive circle of friends and talented colleagues
01:48who are over there who lift me up every day. I don't care who you are or where
01:55you're from. Everyone needs a little help in this life. And as a young child I
02:00immigrated from Nigeria with my parents. I loved school. I used to invite other kids
02:08over to my house to do math problems. I didn't say I was a cool kid but I was a
02:14smart kid. But my parents had a modest income so I didn't have access to the top
02:22schools. That's where a better chance came in. This incredible program places
02:28high-performing students from underserved communities in top college prep high
02:34schools. I was fortunate to be placed at Ken Place School in Summit, New Jersey, an
02:40all-girls school that recognized the importance of providing equal educational
02:46opportunities to young women of all ethnic and racial backgrounds. These
02:51administrators believed that it was their responsibility to leave the world a
02:55little bit better than they had found it. A Better Chance not only introduced me
03:00to Kent Place but also supported me when I got there with test-taking workshops,
03:05mentoring, and sometimes just a little emotional encouragement. Resources that I
03:13wouldn't have had otherwise. This set me up for an Ivy League education which
03:18transformed the trajectory of my life and that of my entire family. I am part of a
03:28community of 20,000 alumni who have experienced the life-changing impact of a
03:34better chance. So thank you to the organization's President Francisco Tezon who
03:44couldn't be here tonight and Board Chair Sheila Marmon who is here this evening. And
03:51by the way, she's one of those 20,000 alumni too. Thank you for the great work that you do.
04:03So
04:03someone had to give me an opportunity because no one does anything alone. The
04:09second thing I know for sure is that in an ever-changing world, it's really best
04:14just to focus on controlling the things you can control. Uh-huh. So from streaming
04:21to AI, our industry is evolving at such a fast pace. No one can predict the future and
04:29trying to only causes anxiety. I choose to stay in the moment. I appreciate the
04:37honor and that you consider me a woman of power. I have a seat at the table of a
04:43very influential entertainment platform and I don't take that for granted. The
04:48power isn't what motivates me. Power is fleeting and it's conferred upon you from
04:53outside sources so they can always take it away. Control emanates from me. I choose
05:02to focus on what I can control. And those things are how I treat people, how I show
05:08up for my family and friends and colleagues, how I react to adversity, and how my
05:14integrity informs my actions. Which leads me to the third and final thing that I
05:21know for sure. The greatest legacy of leadership isn't power, it's character. It's whether
05:30you use whatever influence you have to open doors for other people. It's creating a sense
05:42of belonging for someone who needs it. It's taking what you know for sure and sharing it
05:46with those who come after you. It's helping create opportunities for the next generation to dream even
05:52bigger than you ever could.
05:55Because somewhere, there's a seven-year-old with extraordinary potential who simply
06:01needs others to see it, to encourage it, to invest in it, and to believe in it.
06:08Thank you so much to Variety for this incredible honor.
06:20This incredible honor, which I choose to see as an acknowledgement of my character. And
06:27thank you to everyone.
