Mary J. Blige, the legendary R&B musician, has launched the “Strength of a Woman Scholarship” for women who are sophomores at Hampton University in collaboration with PepsiCo., Inc. It is named after Blige’s 13th studio album, which was released in April 2017, and her 2023 Lifetime movie of the same name.
The scholarship will be handled by Scholarship America®, the country’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals.
According to Wavy, to qualify for this scholarship award, candidates must; self-identify as female, be a current sophomore undergraduate student at Hampton University, plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at Hampton University for the entire academic year of 2024-2025, maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent), pursue a degree in either Business Administration, Marketing, Arts, Finance, or Creative Design, and not have any affiliation with Pepsico as an employee or as a child of an employee.
According to their website, “if selected as the recipient, the student will receive a $30,000 award. One award will be granted.” The student will receive the $30,000 stipend that is renewable for one year or until a bachelor’s degree is obtained.
In terms of the selection procedure, beneficiaries will be picked by Scholarship America without the interference or influence of any PepsiCo., Inc. officer or employee.
ClutchPoints reported that Blige has become familiar with college and HBCU life significantly over the past years because of the movies she has featured in.
In the popular STARZ series “Power Book II: Ghost”, Blige portrays “Monet Tejada,” who deals with Tariq St. Patrick, a former high school student who is now a college student, and his expanding drug business on the fictitious Ivy League campus of Stansfield University.
She also collaborated with Lifetime on the film “Real Love” in which the main protagonists Kendra & Ben are in the beginning stages of a romantic relationship at college when they find themselves in a difficult circumstance near the end of the movie.
