It’s hard to believe it’s already been a full year since Beyoncé unveiled “Lemonade,” known technically as a visual album and accurately as an artistic masterpiece. It seems like just yesterday we were all scrambling to find a quiet place to watch the hour-long cultural event and cry happy tears—that was my approach anyway. To celebrate this achievement, Beyoncé launched her Formation Scholars program on Monday, a scholarship fund for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Beyoncé will award scholarships to four female students entering, currently attending, or pursuing graduate studies at Berklee College of Music, Howard University, Parsons School of Design, and Spelman College. These four schools will have the chance to pick one gifted student each with an emphasis on young women pursuing studies in the creative arts, music, literature, or African-American studies. Basically, they’re searching for the next Queen Bey. With this scholarship program, Beyoncé hopes to “encourage and support young women who are unafraid to think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious, and confident.”
If you’re a current or incoming student at one of the colleges mentioned above, check with your financial aid administrators about applying for the opportunity. The rest of us nonstudents are excited to see the creative forces that are bound to emerge from this program.