News Releases

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:

Audrey Arthur
Spelman College
(404) 270-5892
aarthur3@spelman.edu
Twitter: @SpelmanMedia


ATLANTA (June 15, 2017) --  In recognition of the one-year anniversary of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s critically-acclaimed, award-winning visual album, “Lemonade,” Bria Paige, C’2019, a Spelman College English major, has been named a 2017-2018 Formation Scholar.

Formation Scholars is a new national award funded by Parkwood Entertainment. The scholarship is based on merit and community service and supports the undergraduate or graduate pursuits of students in four fields of study: creative arts, music, literature and African-American studies. As a Formation Scholar, Paige will receive a $25,000 scholarship.

“We are pleased Spelman College has been selected as one of four higher education institutions to award the first Formation Scholarship,” said Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D. “Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's support of women who are ‘unafraid to think out of the box and are bold, creative, conscious and confident,’ is critical at a time when those qualities are required to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Bria Paige exemplifies the female scholar this award intends to bolster as she has excelled not only in the classroom but also as a leader among her peers."

Paige, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, is a 2017 UNCF Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, with plans to pursue a doctorate in English literature and Black feminist scholarship. As a Fellow, her undergraduate research will focus on Black women and their political spaces, using the English discipline as the primary framework for her investigation and analysis.  

“‘Lemonade’ inspired my Mellon research proposal, ultimately fueling my desire to pursue doctoral studies centered on Black feminist thought and contribute to the evolvement of diverse scholarship within academia,” said Paige. “Experiencing Beyoncé blur the lines between the personal and political and influence culture worldwide, while championing Black women and our experience, empowers me to discover effective and culturally sound ways to see myself within the world and my academic future.

“As I prepare to enter into my junior year at Spelman College, I walk with new purpose as I work to redefine and transform academia, specifically infusing creativity, innovation and popular culture into scholarship. Similar to Beyoncé, I aim to merge two worlds, considered to be complete opposites, to create my own genre of scholarship.”

Paige’s academic accomplishments involve the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program, Alpha Lambda Delta national honor society and the Dean’s List. She holds several leadership positions including secretary of academic affairs for the Spelman Student Government Association and co-president of the English Club.  

Other higher education institutions selected to award a Formation Scholarship are Parsons School of Design, Howard University and Berklee College of Music.

About Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a highly selective, liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent.  Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the College’s picturesque campus is home to 2,100 students. Outstanding alumnae include Children’s Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman, former Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer, Broadway producer Alia Jones, former Acting Surgeon General and Spelman’s first alumna President Audrey Forbes Manley, Harvard University Professor Evelynn Hammonds, author Pearl Cleage and actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson. For more information, visit www.spelman.edu.