Rihanna has announced a scholarship program which will be targeting international students and allowing then to apply for a grant that will see them be given up to $50,000 to attend American colleges.
Rihanna’s own charity the Clara Lionel Foundation has been making philanthropic leaps and bounds since 2012, contributing to health, education and the arts. Now the Barbados native has decided to open up a path to higher educations, by allowing students from Brazil, Barbados, Cuba, Haiti, Grenada, Guyana and Jamaica to attend US based colleges.
“To be able to give the gift of an education is actually an honor,” Rihanna said in an exclusive with USA Today. “Higher education will help provide perspective, opportunity and learning to a group of kids who really deserve it. I am thrilled to be able to do this.”
Successful applicants will be from one of the aforementioned countries and will be selected based on academic and social merit as well as any unusual personal or family circumstances they might be embroiled in. Those applying strictly from a financial point of view will not be considered.
The sum of the scholarship will range from $5,000 to $50,000 and can be renewed for up to three years or until the student has earned their bachelor’s degree. The applications for the scholarship are open now, with the deadline being June 10, 2016. The lucky recipients will be notified in August.
With higher education proving to play an increasingly larger role in individual sustainability for younger generations, it’s excellent to see a celebrity with the means as well as the drive to help young people achieve their education based dreams. All you need to do is put in the work work work work work.
Image: Pitchfork