MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Students at Westside Middle School in Frayser got a special surprise Tuesday from one of the school’s most famous alumni.
Grammy-nominated rapper and Memphis native GloRilla visited the school Tuesday to present a $20,000 donation to the school’s fine arts program.
She also offered words of encouragement to the students at her alma mater.
“To chase your dreams, whatever you want to do is possible. I’m living proof because I came from this exact neighborhood, this exact school. And whatever you want to do, you can do it. Manifest and actually work to achieve it,” she said.
This is not the first time GloRilla has given back to a school in Frayser. Last year, she donated $25,000 to Martin Luther King College Prep, her former high school. The money went toward the senior class and the arts and music program.
“GloRilla is why I got into this work years ago,” said Dr. Rodney Peterson, Principal of Westside
Middle School. “I wanted to be a conduit and bridge builder for young people to dream and
know that those dreams can come to fruition if they believed in it and put in the work. Because
she is the true epitome of a Westside Wildcat, with this donation, we can help continue the legacy of empowering young Wildcats to be world changers.”
The Memphis native is known for her 2022 breakout hit “F.N.F (Let’s Go).” She’s scheduled to kick off her Gangsta Art arena tour on November 22 in Fort Worth, Texas.