Rihanna launches college scholarship programme

Rihanna has launched a college scholarship programme. The 'Work' hitmaker is offering scholarships of up to $50,000 for students on a need basis through her Clara Lionel Foundation. She told USA Today: "To be able to give the gift of an education is actually an honour. "Higher education will help provide perspective, opportunities, and learning to a group of kids who really deserve it. I am thrilled to be able to do this." Students have a change of receiving $5,000 to $50,000 of financial support towards their studying for a four-year course in a college based in the Untied States. Applicants for the bursary must be a resident of either the United States, Barbados, Cuba, Brazil, Jamaica, Guyana or Haiti and the fate of the top 50 will be decided by a committee, who are looking for "academic performance, demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities, work experience and a personal essay". A post on the charity's official website reads: "The Clara Lionel Foundation Global Scholarship Program awards full scholarships to highly motivated youth in Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, Guyana, Jamaica and the United States. "Designed to assist students who are aspiring to reach their fullest potential, the program will provide recipients with the opportunity to receive an education anywhere in the United States. The goal is to create a cyclical effect with CLF Scholars eventually being able to help others become thriving professionals, educators, and philanthropists." Meanwhile, in a separate post on the charity's website, Rihanna is praised for her "unrelenting giving spirit". It reads: "Before launching the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012, Rihanna demonstrated an unrelenting giving spirit from the outset of her career. "That commitment runs even deeper as the icon continues to leverage her worldwide fame and influence to address a diverse group of global issues."