Rihanna Launches Scholarship Program

Grammy award-winning artist Rihanna has launched a scholarship program for college students through Clara Lionel Foundation, a nonprofit organization she founded back in 2012 to help impoverished communities around the world.

The scholarship amounts range from $5,000 to $50,000 and will be awarded to international and U.S. students. In order to be eligible for the scholarship, students must be a resident of the U.S., Barbados, Cuba, Brazil, Jamaica, Guyana, or Haiti and have been accepted into a bachelor’s program at a four-year college in the U.S for the 2016-2017 school year. Applications are now open, and the deadline to apply is June 10, 2016.

A committee will pick fifty finalists based on “academic performance, demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities, work experience and a personal essay,” according to USA Today. Winners will be announced by August 2016.

“To be able to give the gift of an education is actually an honor,” Rihanna stated to USA Today. “Higher education will help provide perspective, opportunities and learning to a group of kids who really deserve it. I am thrilled to be able to do this.”

Check out the video below, in which Rihanna discusses her vision for the Clara Lionel Foundation: