“Who run the world?” Well, Sadiya Ramos, for one. The Berklee College of Music sophomore is one winner of Beyonce’s Formation Scholars Award.
The singer announced the creation of her scholarship in April, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of her Grammy-winning visual album “Lemonade.”
Four scholarships in total were awarded to female incoming, current or graduate students who are studying creative arts, music, literature or African-American studies.
The award was created, according to Beyonce’s website, “to encourage and support young women who are unafraid to think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious and confident.”
Ramos is clearly one of those women. She’s a sophomore studying dance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and she began dancing at 6 years old.
Ramos is originally from Suffern, New York. Among her many accolades, she performed for the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics at the Los Angeles Coliseum in front of 62,000 people and also danced on stage while Stevie Wonder performed there.
“Sadiya Ramos personifies the dedication and artistry of Beyonce here at the Conservatory, and we are honored to announce her as the recipient of the Formation Scholars Award,” said Cathy Young, executive director of the conservatory, in a statement. “Sadiya’s energy and talent know no limits, and I know she will continue to excel as a dancer and artist as a student, and in the future.”
Ramos received a $25,000 scholarship for the 2017-18 academic year. All current and incoming female students enrolled at Berklee (whether in Boston, online or abroad) were eligible for the scholarship.
The other schools Beyonce graced with the opportunity were Spelman College, Howard University and Parsons School of Design. All applicants needed a 3.5 GPA or above and to submit an essay stating how “Lemonade” inspired their educational goals.
The other winners were Maya Rogers, a graduate student at Howard who is a songwriter and vocalist studying music therapy; Avery Youngblood, a second-year student at Parsons studying graphic design; and Bria Paige, a junior at Spelman majoring in English.
