Rihanna will receive Harvard’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, and we’re super excited about it
In what is possibly the best belated birthday gift ever, Rihanna is Harvard University’s Humanitarian of the Year. The “Love on the Brain” singer is set to receive the charitable Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian award in a ceremony that will be held on the Boston campus, Billboard reports.
Although we are constantly inspired by Rihanna’s Grammy-winning music and her reputation for serving us with endless to-die-for lewks, both on and off the red carpet, this honor is focused on what she gives back to the world from the bottom of her heart.
According to the Harvard Foundation site, the annual award is given to an “individual whose works and deeds have served to improve the quality of our lives and have inspired us to greater heights.”
Clearly, that description fits Rihanna to a tee.
The singer’s charitable contributions include helping Caribbean students attend college in the U.S. through her Clara and Lionel Foundation Scholarship Program (named for her grandparents; adorable). Rihanna also built a state-of-the-art breast cancer treatment center at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in her home country Barbados.
Among the previous Humanitarian Award recipients are Martin Luther King, Jr., Lionel Richie and Malala Yousafzai, so as Rih would say, this is pretty #MAJAH.
For those of who you don’t speak fluent Rihanna (srsly, get it together guys), that means this award is a big friggin’ deal.
The awards ceremony will be held on February 28 at 4 p.m. Admission is free for anyone with a Harvard ID, but tickets must be picked up from the Harvard Box Office and are limited to two per person.
Congrats, Rihanna!
