In April (17) the R&B singer announced she would be funding the studies of young women of colour at Berklee College of Music, Howard University, Parsons School of Design, and Spelman College. On Thursday (17) the four Formation Scholars for the 2017-2018 academic year were named as Maya Rogers, Sadiya Ramos, Avery Paige, and Bria Paige. Maya, a songwriter and vocalist will attend Howard, Sadiya, a dancer, Berklee, star English student Bria, Spelman College, and Avery, a linguistics student, the Parsons School of Design.
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A statement announcing the winners posted on the singer’s website described exactly what Beyonce was looking for in those chosen for the programme. “The Formation Scholars award encourages and supports young women who are bold, creative, conscious, confident and unafraid to think outside the box,” it read. To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants had to maintain a Grade Point Average above 3.5 and pen an essay on how Beyonce acclaimed 2016 visual album Lemonade inspired them educationally. The scholarships are funded by the singer’s BeyGOOD charitable formation, and the winners were chosen by expert university panels.
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Beyonce original announcement she was looking to fund students coincided with the first anniversary of the surprise release of her visual album Lemonade, which debuted on U.S. network HBO on 23 April last year (16). The album and accompanying hour-long film drew praise from critics for its tackling of social issues affecting African-American women. The 35-year-old is also set to become a mother for the second and third time, as she is due to give birth to twins this month (Jun17).