Rihanna accepted Harvard's 2017 Humanitarian of the Year Award yesterday (Feb. 28), and as expected, was completely charming and gracious during her acceptance speech.

RiRi specifically received the Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award and was honored by the Harvard Foundation for building a state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility and for creating scholarship and educational programs for youth. Rihanna founded the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012, which provides aid to disadvantaged communities around the world. She recently traveled to Malawi on behalf of her foundation and the Global Citizen organization to meet with government officials, mentors, students and teachers to discuss efforts to help their community.

“You don’t have to be rich to be a humanitarian,” she told the animated Harvard crowd during her acceptance speech.  “You don’t have to be rich to help somebody.  You don’t have to be famous. You just do whatever you can to help in any way that you can.”

Rihanna, who just yesterday announced a new charitable partnership with Dior, said you don't even have to be college educated to help people, which drew a chuckle from the crowd, especially when she tacked on, "I mean... I wish I was," before adding that maybe she'll come back.

RiRi credited her charitable spirit to her late grandmother, Clara “Dolly” Brathwaite, who passed away in 2012 after battling cancer.

"We are all human and we all just want a chance. A chance at life, a chance at an education, a chance at a future really,” she said. “All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return.  To me, that is a humanitarian.”

You can watch her full speech below.

 

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