These Four Women Are Beyoncé's Inaugural Formation Scholars

The four scholars have been annouced as recipients for Beyoncé‘s formation scholarship. 

The Grammy-winning recording artist made the announcement through her website on Thursday after all finalists were selected by committees from the eligible colleges and universities.

“Today, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter announces the four winners of The Formation Scholars Award for the 2017-2018 academic year. The establishment of the merit scholarship program was announced on April 24, in celebration of the one-year anniversary of LEMONADE, her critically-acclaimed and globally-lauded visual album, through her BeyGOOD initiative,” the statement read. 

Among the winners are Howard University graduate student, Maya Rogers; Spelman College rising senior, Bria Paige, Berklee College of Music sophomore, Sadiya Ramos and Parsons School of Design student, Avery Youngblood. 

For Spelman sophomore, Paige, she plans to focus on Black women and their political spaces during her undergraduate reseearch. Currently, she’s attending the Mellon Program’s Summer Institute at Emory University.

“Lemonade inspired my Mellon research proposal, ultimately fueling my desire to pursue doctoral studies centered on Black feminist thought and contribute to the evolvement of diverse scholarship within academia,” Paige said. 

Beyoncé, who made the annoucement of the launch of her scholarship program in April, has a mission to award young women who “think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious and confident.” Shortly after the annoucement, the singer-songwriter was commended for her initiative by former First Lady Michelle Obama. 

Obama thanked the artist for “investing in our girls” while calling her “a role model for us all.”

To learn more about the four scholarship recipients, visit here.