Although Rihanna never imagined herself attending Harvard, she did so on Tuesday when she won the Humanitarian Award from the school.
The 29-year-old singer received recognition from the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Racial Relations for her lifetime dedication to charitable giving, both domestically on her home island of Barbados and internationally.
As she took the trophy, Rihanna chuckled, “So I made it to Harvard.” It feels good, but I never thought I’d be able to say that in my life.
The “Work” singer revealed during her speech that she was first inspired to work for charity at a young age after seeing ads showing how a quarter could save a child’s life.
“I used to wonder how many twenty-five cents I could save up to save all the kids in Africa,” I would say to myself. And I used to tell myself, ‘I’m going to save kids all over the world when I grow up and get rich,'” she remembered. “I just had no idea that by the time I was a teenager, I would be able to do that.”
Despite the fact that Rihanna has recently collaborated with numerous international organizations, such as her own Clara Lionel Foundation, which she established in memory of her grandparents, she urged people to start giving back by starting with their neighbors.
To help one person, all you have to do is give without expecting anything in return. That seems humanitarian to me,” she remarked.
The young girl who was watching such advertisements was unaware that helping others doesn’t require wealth; being a humanitarian doesn’t require it. It’s not necessary to be well-known or even have a college degree. However, it all begins with your neighbor, she clarified. “You just take whatever action you can to lend a hand however you can.”