Laquisha Springer, a 21-year-old behavioral neuroscience major at Connecticut College, praised Jay Z’s foundation for the opportunity to study abroad due to a little-known partnership between the U.S. State Department and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.
“I do not believe that there was a moment that I did not learn something new from studying abroad,” Springer said.
Jay Z has been criticized recently for his remark that “my presence is charity” in response to longtime civil rights activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte’s criticism that Jay Z and Beyonce were not doing enough in the realm of social responsibility.
Springer was one of four students to receive one of the Shawn Carter Foundation-Gilman International Scholarships through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
“It makes me proud, you know, to know that someone who is relatively close to my age and someone I can relate to who’s had to struggle to get to where he is, that he’s investing in my future,” Springer, told Diverse Education. “That shows me that he believes in my future.”
The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation has awarded $1.3 million in scholarships to 188 students in addition to the four study abroad scholarships through the Gilman scholars program.
[Photo Credit: Diverse Education]
