Watch Rihanna Receive Her Parsons School of Design Honor

Rihanna continues to inspire.

After being celebrated as Harvard’s Humanitarian of the Year, RiRi’s philanthropic works were recognized by the prestigious Parsons School of Design at their 69th annual gala on Monday (May 22), where she spoke on the importance of celebrating the youth.

“Thank you to the students,” she said. “Tonight is about you, young men and women, on a global scale, as we know, who are such remarkable beacons of inspiration in every way. I don’t think you get celebrated enough. You should be celebrated for every aspect of your growth and your growing pains. You should be celebrated for creativity, fearlessness, persistence, and determination. You should be celebrated for all the effort that you put into your future, for being different, for not being given enough credit, for not having to use eye cream. My point is, we often tear our youth down when we should be building them up. Our future is in their hands.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiuWa526e_s

RiRi explained why this was such an important honor during an interview with “Access Hollywood.” “It means a lot,” she said. “It’s all about the young people and giving them an opportunity to a bright future. To have a school as prestigious as Parsons recognize and acknowledge the philanthropic work that I’ve done and just empowering young fashion designers who are still in school in their graduate year, it feels good, it feels exciting, it feels right.”

Wearing an oversized suit by Parsons alum Matthew Adam Dolan, RiRi also explained her affinity for the designer. “We’ve been working together for quite some time and I’m excited,” she said. “He’s one of my favorite designers and it was only fitting, coming to Parsons, that I wear him.”

Aside from her work with philanthropy and fashion, Rihanna is also taking over Hollywood. After acting in “Bates Motel,” she’s also set to star in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Ocean’s Eight, and a buddy heist film with Lupita Nyong’o that started out as a social media craze.