Beyoncé Announces Winners of Formation Scholars

Photo Source: For Harriet

Remember when we received word of Beyoncé’s scholarship program dubbed Formation Scholars? Truly making lemonade out of lemons, Bey and her BeyGOOD initiative decided to financially assist “woke” female undergraduate/graduate students in celebration of her hit album Lemonade’s first anniversary.

Four scholarships were up for grabs and the time has arrived! The four recipients have been announced, right on Queen Bey’s official website.

And the winners are…

SADIYA RAMOS SOPHOMORE BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC

Sadiya is studying dance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Originally from Suffern, New York, she began dancing at the age of six under the guidance of Arthur Mitchell at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Ramos worked with François Perron at the French Academie of Ballet as a teenager, where she acquired the instruction needed to develop her individual style and improve her performance skills.

AVERY YOUNGBLOOD SECOND-YEAR STUDENT PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN

Avery Youngblood is a recent Stanford University graduate, Class of 2016 and an undergraduate student in the AAS (Associates) Graphic Design program at Parsons School of Design at The New School, Class of 2018. As an undergraduate at Stanford she studied Linguistics and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Avery discovered that it was possible to translate her creative curiosity for design by focusing on language and the social interaction that takes place in our multicultural society, and the variety of platforms we use to connect with one another.

MAYA ROGERS GRADUATE STUDENT HOWARD UNIVERSITY Maya Rogers is a songwriter and vocalist who believes in the power that music has to heal, connect us with one another, and help us understand ourselves more deeply. Maya has returned to school to study music therapy after recovering from a traumatic brain injury in 2013. She describes her recovery as the most frightening and fascinating time of her life, and music played a large role in her regaining the ability to read, write, play music, and sing.

BRIA PAIGE JUNIOR SPELMAN COLLEGE

Bria Paige is a rising junior English major at Spelman College from Jackson, Mississippi. At Spelman, Bria is invested in her academics as she maintains membership in the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program, Alpha Lambda Delta honor society, and is a Dean’s List scholar. In addition, Bria holds various leadership positions, including Spelman Student Government Association (SSGA) Secretary of Academic Affairs and co-President of the English Club.

What are your thoughts on the Formation Scholars selected? Share in the comments!

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Tonja Renée Stidhum is a writer/director living in Los Angeles by way of Chicago. She is the co-host of the movie review podcast, Cinema Bun Podcast. She is made of sugar and spice and everything rice... with the uncanny ability to make a Disney/Pixar reference in the same sentence as a double entendre. You can follow her on Twitter @EmbraceTheJ, on Facebook FB.com/tstidhum, and Instagram @embracethej. You can find more of her work on her About Me page, https://about.me/tonjareneestidhum.