Grammy Award-winning artist, Pharrell Williams gave the Class of 2019 of the Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy a reason ‘to clap along because they are happy’ as soon as he made a special announcement at their graduation ceremony.
During his commencement speech, the singer promised each of the 114 students a guaranteed internship by the end of their first year in college – “So, let me be clear: Every member of the 2019 graduating class is guaranteed an internship waiting for them next summer.”
“The world is watching Harlem, but this renaissance will be different. And believe it or not, with respect, it’s gonna actually be better. The reason why is because the new Harlem Renaissance has education at its core,” he said firmly.
Pharrell with the Graduating Class of 2019, Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy. Source: CNN.com
The Harlem Academy is a charter school that aims to end the generational state of poverty in Central Harlem through education. The institution provides free quality education to students from kindergarten to the 12th grade. However, students are picked through a lottery or a waiting list system due to the high submission of applications.
It has also been rumoured that an internship program has been in the works. The following program aims to provide students with access to job opportunities. The CEO of the Academy, Anne Williams-Isom, praised the singer for his generosity.
However, this isn’t Pharrell’s first act of generosity. In the past, he has collaborated with Verizon to promote access to technology in under-resourced middle schools in the United States.
Thanks to Pharrell, these underprivileged students now have the opportunity to turn their lives around!
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Pharrell Williams promises internships to more than 100 Harlem high school graduates
*Featured image sourced from Twitter
