Robyn Rihanna Fenty better known as simply "Rihanna" accepted the "Humanitarian of the Year" award at Harvard University on Tuesday, Feb. 28 and gave a speech from the heart after receiving the honor.
RiRi made history as the first female singer to receive the award, which is given each year by the Harvard Foundation. The foundation presents this honor to someone "whose works and deeds have served to improve the quality of our lives and have inspired us to greater heights," according to the foundation's website.
In her speech, the "This Is What You Came For" songstress thanked the Harvard Foundation and recounted her own experiences as a child wanting to help children in Africa.
"I would say to myself you know, 'when I grow up, when I can get rich, I'ma save kids all over the world.' I just didn't know I would be in the position to do that by the time I was a teenager," she said.
As we previously reported, Rihanna was recognized for creating an oncology and nuclear medicine center in Barbados. Rihanna mentioned in her speech that the center was created in memory of her grandmother, Clara, who passed away from cancer in 2012.
"The truth is... You don't have to be rich to help somebody," Rihanna said. "But it starts with your neighbor, the person right next to you, the person sitting next to you in class, the kid down the block in your neighborhood, you just do whatever you can to help in any way that you can."
You can watch Rihanna's full speech here:
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