Legendary R&B singer Mary J. Blige has created a scholarship at Hampton University per a report by Kevin Cheek of WAVY. The “Strength Of A Woman” scholarship, named after Blige's 13th studio album released in April 2017 and her 2023 Lifetime movie of the same name, is a partnership between PepsiCo and is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals.

To be eligible, applicants must fulfill the following requirements: self-identify as female, be a current sophomore undergraduate student at Hampton University, plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at Hampton University for the entire academic year of 2024-2025, maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent), pursue a degree in either Business Administration, Marketing, Arts, Finance, or Creative Design, and not have any affiliation with Pepsico as an employee or as a child of an employee. The one student selected will get a $30,000 scholarship award.

Blige has embraced college and HBCU life a lot in the past couple of years. She plays “Monet Tejada” in the hit STARZ series “Power Book II: Ghost” where she deals with now college student Tariq St. Patrick and his growing drug enterprise on the fictional Ivy League campus of Stansfield University. Also, Blige partnered with Lifetime to release two movies called “Real Love” and “Strength of a Woman”. “Real Love” depicts a budding college romance between main characters Kendra & Ben who find themselves in a tricky situation towards the end of the film.

The deadline to apply is October 16th at 4 PM EST. Click here to apply for the scholarship.