Stormzy, the aspiring student turned award-winning artist in Big For Your Boots, has completed his journey in the most recent award from Cambridge.
UK rapper Stormzy has been honoured with an honorary law degree from the University of Cambridge, recognising his wide-ranging philanthropic work in education, music, sport, and literature.
The 31-year-old Michael Omari Owuo, a grime star, was presented with the honor at a special ceremony at Senate House. The London-born artist, who is best known for four UK number-one singles, has used his platform to help young Black students by creating the Stormzy Scholarship, which was launched in 2018.
The scholarship initially provided two Black British students per year, but it has since grown to include ten students annually. 55 students have received financial aid to pay for their tuition and living expenses to date. The initiative has also led to a notable increase in Black student applications to Cambridge, which has been dubbed the “Stormzy effect.”
Stormzy first demonstrated the scheme at Harris City Academy in Croydon, a former student there.
He later stated that because we are a minority, it is important that all potential students have the same opportunity.
His goal was to encourage young people from underrepresented backgrounds to aim high as well as reduce the financial strain on Black students. He added, “I hope it will serve as a reminder to young people from all backgrounds that they have the opportunity to receive the best education.”
In a previous interview with BBC Breakfast, the MOBO-winning artist shared his message for young students: “If you’re academically brilliant, don’t think because you come from a certain community that studying at one of the highest education institutions in the world isn’t possible.”
The underrepresentation of Black students at prestigious universities is the inspiration for Stormzy’s scholarship program. Some Cambridge colleges at one point didn’t accept any Black students between 2012 and 2016 at all.
In contrast, there were only 58 Black undergraduate admissions in 2017; this is a small but significant change.
Stormzy once vowed to study at Oxford or Cambridge, reflecting on his own academic journey. He didn’t pursue university, choosing instead to pursue his passion for music despite receiving six A*s, three As, and three Bs at GCSE level.
He said, “Fortunately for myself, I had the academic ability when I was going through school.” I diverted and ended up studying music, but they should know that’s possible when students are young, academically outstanding, and receiving excellent grades.
He also openly acknowledged that he struggled in A-levels, saying, “I remember going to my results day and seeing my results shocked me. I made no excessive progress. I was shocked by the educational system because it revealed to me that it was difficult to get a degree.
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Source: Mirror
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