Later this year, Stormzy will be one of eight individuals awarded honorary doctorates by Cambridge University.
The University Council of Britain’s most prestigious school of higher learning nominated all eight recipients, each of whom will be formally admitted at a special Congregation in the Senate-House on Wednesday June 25. Presided over by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, the ceremony will be attended by staff, students, alumni and specially invited guests.
Not the first time the rapper (born Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr.) has received such an accolade, in 2022 he was “honoured in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of higher education philanthropy and widening participation” by Exeter University.
In recognition of his impactful philanthropic work across education, music, sport and literatureIn some months, Stormzy will receive a Doctorate in Law from Cambridge University in some three months.
In 2018, the now 31-year old English-Ghanaian born musician launched the Stormzy Scholarship at Cambridge, that funds two Black British students annually by covering their tuition fees and maintenance costs.
After HSBC UK agreed to support an additional ten students per year, the program expanded significantly in 2021 and thus far 55 students have benefited from the Stormzy Scholarship, with the largest group set to graduate in 2025.
Oft times referred to as the ‘Stormzy Effect,’ the entertainer’s efforts have been widely credited with contributing to a rise in applications to Cambridge from Black students across the United Kingdom.
Other honorands include Sir Simon Russell Beale, Professor Angela Davis, Lady Arden of Heswall, Dame Katherine Grainger, Sir Oliver Hart, Maria Leptin and Sir John Rutter.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Raph_PH