Rihanna Is Harvard's Humanitarian of the Year Because There's Nothing She Can't Do

Raise your flasks.

Clothing, Eyewear, Leg, Vision care, Coat, Trousers, Shirt, Outerwear, Suit, Dress,
(Image credit: Getty Images)

She might be the coolest girl in the room wherever she goes, but let it be known that Rihanna has a heart of gold too—and she's being recognized for it with an award from Elle Woods' alma mater.

According to the Harvard Gazette, the Bates Motel actress has been named the university's 2017 Humanitarian of the Year, joining past honorees such as Malala Yousafzai, James Earl Jones, and U.N. Secretaries General Ban Ki-moon and Kofi Annan.

"Rihanna has charitably built a state-of- the-art center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados," said S. Allen Counter, the Harvard Foundation's director. "She has also created the Clara and Lionel Foundation Scholarship Program [named for her grandmother and grandfather] for students attending college in the U.S. from Caribbean countries, and supports the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen Project, a multiyear campaign that will provide children with access to education in over 60 developing countries, giving priority to girls and those affected by lack of access to education in the world today." [Editor]

She'll be on campus February 28 to collect the next statuette for her mantel, which is super unfair to those of us without valid IDs and may require a 22 Jump Street-style operation. But TBD. Well-deserved.

Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more.

Chelsea Peng
Assistant Editor

Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at MarieClaire.com. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.