Tyler Perry Helps Pay Tuskegee University Student Sheneika Janay DuBerry’s Tuition To Attend Graduate School At Harvard – AfroTech

Billionaire filmmaker Tyler Perry is paying it forward to a rising writer furthering her education.

Sheneika Janay DuBerry is a Tuskegee University student who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English in the spring semester, The Grio reports. In an Instagram post, DuBerry said creativity has always been her center point, leading her to sell poems in New York City as a young girl and now to be an author with an overarching goal of becoming an educator.

“I later studied acting in @tasha4realsmith workshop, and I’ll never forget her telling me that my energy reminded her of Jada Pinkett in the ’90s, the golden era of Hip Hop and Black cinema. Acting was part of my creative foundation, but writing and education became my purpose. I took that same presence, imagination, and storytelling ability and poured it into becoming an educator and author,” she wrote on Instagram.

DuBerry has now been accepted into the Harvard Graduate School of Education, People reports. Although she was given “generous financial aid,” she shared it would still be difficult to fund her dream. Perry heard her story and is paying off her remaining tuition balance.

“Your generosity has opened the door for me to continue my education, strengthen my voice as a writer and educator, and move closer to the forthcoming books and educational work I have been building,” she expressed on Instagram. “You are a true light in the Black community. I love you, and I am overwhelmed, humbled, and grateful beyond words. Thank you for investing in my purpose and helping make this dream a reality.”

DuBerry is already thinking of ways to help others after such generosity. A portion of the proceeds from her upcoming book will be donated to Tuskegee University.

“An institution that helped save my life and gave me the foundation to become the woman and writer I am today,” she mentioned on Instagram.