Nicki Minaj shocks poor college students with good academic records by helping pay off their loans, turning their lives around
Nicki Minaj at the 2018 Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image: Getty
They don’t call her the Queen for nothing. Nicki Minaj just proved yet again why she deserves her crown as she helped pay off the debts of several college students during a recent appearance on The Ellen Show. The rapper – and Vogue Arabia September cover star – teamed up with TV host Ellen DeGeneres and supermarket retailer Walmart to gift three students in the audience with a debt-free education.
The Anaconda hitmaker and DeGeneres presented the ecstatic students with checks for US$50,000 each, with an emotional Minaj even wiping a tear from her eye at one point. The show selected Jacob, Chrissy, and Lauren to benefit from the scholarships, with the students studying nursing, music, and medicine between them.
DeGeneres later revealed on Twitter the trio had given away US$250,000 in scholarships during the show, to which Minaj replied thanking the show for helping make it happen. “I love you for believing in education,” tweeted the star, whose fourth album, Queen, has reached number one in more than 86 countries, including the UAE, Palestine, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. “It makes me so happy. I want to give more and more and you always inspire me,” Minaj added. “This is all Ellen and Walmart you guys! I’m just happy to be a part of it. I promise I’ll never stop giving for this cause.”
Indeed, it’s not the first time the hip-hop icon has paid off her fans’ tuition. In 2017, Minaj launched her “Student of the Game” fund through her Twitter page to give back to struggling students. “Show me straight As that I can verify with your school and I’ll pay it,” she wrote at the time, pledging money to several fans who replied showing their debts. Just this June, the star paid the college expenses of an incredible 37 fans, giving each up to US $18,000 toward their current tuition or student loans. The star has also vowed to “do more in a couple of months” so stay tuned…
