It was a boss move!
Rapper Rick Ross returned to his home city of Miami last month to give back in a major way. According to People, Ross teamed up with Rolling Loud festival co-founder Tariq Cherif, City of Miami Gardens Councilman Reggie Leon, and school board member Dr. Steve Gallon II to award students at Ross’ alma mater with $10,000 in scholarships.
The group descended on Miami Norland Senior High School and Miami Carol City Senior High School students during the schools’ annual Boss Up Day festivities. Ross surprised the students with a performance and speech, noting his time at the two schools and why it was important for him to give back in this way.
Several students then received $1,000 scholarships with Ross giving away personal cash to other students who were doing well, including one who earned a 4.6 GPA.
“You know, to come give back to the community right here, that means a lot,” Ross told reporters.
Students were ecstatic, saying that it really meant a lot for the hip hop artist to do this for them.
“[Ross] being [an] alumni and then coming back and giving back is something that I feel like everyone should do once they go off and do something successful,” said one student.
Cherif said teaming up with Ross was a no-brainer, the team also giving students tickets to this year’s Rolling Loud Miami festival.
“It’s not a gift. They earned it,” said Cherif.
Miami Gardens Mayor Rodney Harris was also in attendance, showing his gratitude for the scholarship funds and the example that Ross is setting for his community.
“For him to be here actually, to pass out these wonderful gifts, it’s a great experience for our children. But it’s more of a great experience for this entire community, because it shows that this community cares about its very own,” Mayor Harris told reporters.
Ross joins a community of artists who care and regularly give back to the community through various funding and charitable initiatives including Chicago’s Chance The Rapper, Houston’s Trae the Truth, and hip hop mogul Master P.
Thank you for your contributions Rozay! Keep setting the bar high!
Cover photo: Rapper Rick Ross gives $10,000 in scholarships to former high school/Photo Courtesy of @MiamiNorlandSHS/Instagram