Rihanna has been named the 2017 Harvard University Humanitarian of the Year for her charitable endeavors.
According to Harvard Foundation director S. Allen Counter, Rihanna was chosen for the award due to her philanthropic efforts, including building a state-of-the-art center for oncology and nuclear medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Counter stated,
Rihanna has charitably built a state-of-the-art center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados.
In addition to her medical philanthropy, Rihanna has also established a scholarship program for Caribbean students studying in the United States and supports initiatives aimed at improving girls' access to education in the developing world.
As Counter noted,
It is for these philanthropic initiatives and other acts of compassionate sharing that the students and faculty of the Harvard Foundation chose to honor Rihanna with the 2017 Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Rihanna joins a distinguished list of past recipients, including former UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon, Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai, and singer Lionel Richie.
The award will be presented to Rihanna on February 28 at Harvard University.
