Cardi B Donates $100K to Her Old Bronx Middle School After Surprise Visit

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Cardi B is not forgetting where she came from — and went back to her neighborhood school to give back in a big way.

The 29-year-old Bronx native headed to I.S. 232 in New York City's Morris Heights neighborhood on Tuesday during a surprise visit, as seen in a video shared by NBC New York.

The rapper — who attended I.S. 232 fromsix6th through eighth grade — donated $100,000 to the school to financially assist their arts department.

Cardi later captioned an Instagram, "So, I was trying to do this last year but couldn't because of all the COVID rules at the time. This middle school, IS 232 in the Bronx, has a very special place in my heart!! It turned me from an 11 year old girl into a little teenage adult. Kids in the Bronx have to grow up quickly do to our circumstances and our environment. While some young teens like around 11-13 still live in that Disney world, these kids have to grow up fast and QUICK. Like a lot of these kids i went thru so much while I was going to school here. Experiences that changed me forever and made me who I am today. I hope my donation can help create an amazing after school program that will help kids stay out the streets or a troubled home and most importantly allow them to learn something that they can take with them through LIFE. Thank you Community Capacity Development @ccdworldwide and K. Bain for partnering with me to also visit different schools and programs in Queens and Brooklyn. I love being able to help young kids however I can and I can't waiiiittttt to tell y'all what I've been working on for the past two years. It's something super close to my heart and I can't wait to share very soon ❤️❤️"

During a speech to the shocked students, the "I Like It" hitmaker shared her personal experiences and admitted that she was not the best student.

After speaking about an arrest she faced while at the school due to not fully understanding the significance of attaining an education at the time, Cardi said, "When it was time to go to high school, I wanted to go to a certain school, because I always wanted to be an entertainer," according to a video of the appearance shared to Twitter.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Cardi B Surprises Kids at Old Bronx Middle School
Cardi B Surprises Kids at Old Bronx Middle School

NBC New York/Youtube Cardi B surprises kids at her old middle school in the Bronx

RELATED: Cardi B Shares Sweet Family Photos with All Five Kids from Wave's First Birthday: "My Hearts"

She continued, "And I didn't get accepted to the school, and I was upset because some girls that I felt like were less talented than me got accepted to those schools, but the difference was that I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing."

"It's never too late for you guys," Cardi added.

"We are thrilled to welcome Cardi B back home to IS 232 in the Bronx, and we are so grateful for her generous contribution to her alma mater," NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks said in a statement obtained by WPIX-TV.

Banks added, "Cardi B's commitment of $100K for the arts will help the school's kids soar to their highest heights. Thank you, Cardi!"

RELATED: Cardi B and Offset Gift Daughter Kulture $50,000 in Cash for Her 4th Birthday

The rapper is clearly all about the kids, as she also showed love last week to her blended family with husband Offset as they came together to celebrate a special occasion.

Photos from son Wave Set's first birthday shared by Cardi showed her and Offset, 30, posing with all five of their children. (In addition to Wave and daughter Kulture Kiari, 4, with Cardi, Offset is also dad to daughter Kalea, 7, plus sons Kody, 7, and Jordan, 12, from previous relationships.)

Last week, the Migos rapper spoke with PEOPLE about balancing his career while being a father of five.

"Being a father's important to me personally," he said. "For instance, there's a big party on Saturday, right? In Los Angeles. And my son Kody's first football game is on Sunday. There's no way I'm missing either event, so I'm going to have to make it work."

Offset added, "It's priority to me."