Cardi B continues to be a giveback queen after surprising students at her former middle school. The “Up” artist went back to her old stomping grounds in Bronx, NY, and visited I.S. 232, which is located in the Morris Heights neighborhood, and donated $100,000 to the school’s art department.
According to videos posted online, Cardi walked into an auditorium full of students and was welcomed with a thunderous roar of excitement. During her speech, the Grammy award-winning artist reflected on her time at the school and encouraged students to strive for excellence.
Cardi B speaking to the youth at her old school in the Bronx today. Cardi also donate 100k that will help the students tremendously 🥹 pic.twitter.com/4RTtoTicQu
— bri 💎 (@DearBelcalis) September 13, 2022
"When it was time to go to high school, I wanted to go to a certain school, because I always wanted to be an entertainer," she said.
"And I didn't get accepted to the school, and I was upset because some girls that I felt like were less talented than me got accepted to those schools, but the difference was that I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing."
Cardi shared that while she was popular during that time in her life, she was popular for all of the wrong things. The mother of two began recounting some of her less than stellar moments as a student such as cutting school and even getting arrested for fighting.
“The point of this speech really is that sometimes when you’re making bad decisions, when you want to impress somebody, when you want to impress a girl,” she said, “when you wanna make her look like you tough or when you tryna impress a boy that you might like, think about your future.”
She added, “It's never too late for you guys but the decisions that you make right now is very pivotal because after this next step in life it goes high school.”
The following day, Cardi posted videos from her surprise visit, and in the caption wrote about why it was important for her to give back to her alma mater.
“This middle school, IS 232 in the Bronx, has a very special place in my heart!! It turned me from an 11 year old girl into a little teenage adult. Kids in the Bronx have to grow up quickly do to our circumstances and our environment. While some young teens like around 11-13 still live in that Disney world, these kids have to grow up fast and QUICK,” Cardi wrote. “Like a lot of these kids i went thru so much while I was going to school here. Experiences that changed me forever and made me who I am today. I hope my donation can help create an amazing after school program that will help kids stay out the streets or a troubled home and most importantly allow them to learn something that they can take with them through LIFE. Thank you Community Capacity Development @ccdworldwide and K. Bain for partnering with me to also visit different schools and programs in Queens and Brooklyn. I love being able to help young kids however I can and I can’t waiiiittttt to tell y’all what I’ve been working on for the past two years. It’s something super close to my heart and I can’t wait to share very soon ❤️❤️
NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks thanked the “I Like It” rapper for the generous donation in a statement, according to WPIX-TV.
"We are thrilled to welcome Cardi B back home to IS 232 in the Bronx, and we are so grateful for her generous contribution to her alma mater. "Cardi B's commitment of $100K for the arts will help the school's kids soar to their highest heights. Thank you, Cardi!"
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Featured image by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images