NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 14: Mary J. Blige attends the 2023 Forbes Power Women's Summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on September 14, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
<p><strong>Mary J. Blige</strong> and PepsiCo.Inc. has partnered to ease the <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/exclusive-philly-teen-award-scholarship-to-morehouse-after-viral-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic burden</a> of obtaining a higher education. The singer and global food and beverage brand will give away a $30,000 scholarship to a sophomore woman enrolled at Hampton University.</p>
<p>There are<a href="https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/strength-of-a-woman-scholarship/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> additional requirements</a> to be a candidate for the Strength of a Woman scholarship. The sophomore woman must have full-time enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year with a minimum 2.5 GPA. Additionally, she must be studying<em> &#8220;business administration, marketing, arts, finance, or creative design.&#8221; </em></p>
<p>Mary J. Blige will not be selecting the winner. Scholarship America will handle the selection and distribution process. The application deadline is Oct. 16. They will notify applicants about a winner this December, but payment won&#8217;t be issued until next August.</p>
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<p>The scholarship is named after Mary&#8217;s 13th studio album of the same name. She released the project in April 2017. <a href="https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/10/08/mary-j-blige-announces-scholarship-opportunity-for-hampton-university-female-students/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reports</a> of the scholarship began circulating on Friday (Oct. 6). But Mary has not spoken about the scholarship on her social media accounts as of Monday.</p>
<p>In 2017, she reportedly told <em>Big Issue </em>that <a href="https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/mary-j-blige-rebelliousness-really-messed-education/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">her rebelliousness</a> as a teen <em>&#8220;messed up [her] education.&#8221; </em></p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;When I was in 11th grade, I dropped out of high school. I definitely regret it. I really wish that I had finished getting my education. Then again, I look at it and ask myself if I would be this person if I had finished school. Would I be this Mary J. Blige today?&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>It&#8217;s unclear why Mary or otherwise chose Hampton University as the recipient college. However, news of the singer and Pepsi&#8217;s partnership initially came in May via<a href="https://www.pepsico.com/our-stories/press-release/pepsi-announces-scholarship-with-mary-j-blige-part-of-200000-in-donations-to-org05042023" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> a press release</a> for their &#8220;Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit,&#8221; which the global company sponsors. The press release mentioned a scholarship for an HBCU student but did not specify Hampton.</p>
<p>At the time, Mary said in the press release:</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;The whole mission of this festival is to celebrate and advocate for Black women,&#8221; said global icon Mary J. Blige, &#8220;so to have Pepsi, show up and show out in the way they do is overwhelming. With their support for the Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit, we are able to pay it forward in so many impactful ways and to be able to grant an HBCU scholarship for a deserving student is nothing short of incredible.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
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