As part of her Juneteenth giveback series, Lizzo announced a special new Sasha Be Flooting scholarship, complete with a $50,000 donation, in order to give back to Black music students attending the University of Houston — which is her alma mater.
“Today is very close to my heart, near and dear to home and a milestone for me,” Lizzo shared in an Instagram video. “It is for any young Black student from Houston, Texas who has applied to go to University of Houston to study at the Moores School of Music. That was me just a couple years ago, a young Black flute player who just needed a scholarship and someone to believe in them. Now I get to pay it forward.”
“We’ll be announcing who is the winner of that prize very, very soon,” she added.
Ahead of her scholarship announcement, Lizzo also teased it with a separate throwback Instagram post of herself playing flute during her Houston college days.
Fans in the replies of Lizzo’s post were admiring her dedication to giving back to where she came from. “As a former flute player you have no idea how much I admire you and look up to you,” one fan wrote. “I got accepted to the University of Houston (not studying music) and I love that you went there as well!”
“I wish more artists would do this,” another added. “Because it would make college so much more accessible.”
In addition to donating to the school, Lizzo has also given $50,000 to “Black-led grass roots businesses and organizations,” including the Sphinx Organization, Black Girls Smile, and the Marsha P. Johnson Institute so far in the series.
Check out Lizzo’s Juneteenth donations and the new scholarship posts above.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.