Big Boi Surprises High School Students with ‘Get Schooled’ Campaign
Sometimes it pays to stay in school. One-half the ATLien duo, Outkast, Big Boi, recently made a surprise appearance at a Chicago high school with fellow-Altanta-native, Keri Hilson, to promote the importance of education as part of the Get Schooled National Challenge.
“Before I started doing music, I was actually going to school to study child psychology, but, when I was in 11th grade, we went platinum,” Big Boi explained to the some-1000 Collins Academy High School students in attendance. “But I still finished and graduated with honors — you need that.”
The campaign, put on in coordination with MTV’s Tim Kash, hopes to leverage the star-power of Big Boi and Hilson to promote and encourage students to graduate from high school.
“I think [prioritizing time] is the key to making it through high school [and] life in general, is knowing what’s important. attacking that and executing everything,” said Hilson, explaining the things she had to juggle while in high school.
Big Boi, Hilson and Kash acted as moderators, conducting a forum where they engaged students and asked them to reveal what kinds of challenges and pressures they deal with in their lives.
“The future of American education starts here,” the campaign’s tagline reads. The Get Schooled website offers information on how to make it through school, find scholarships, and get into college. The information spans different categories and specific issues, asking students to “Step Up” and take the challenge.
The Get Schooled Foundation was founded in 2009 by Viacom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and receives support from AT&T.
The campaign will continue around the country, with upcoming stops in Memphis, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver and more.
Find details about Get Schooled on their website.
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