Stormzy Receives Honorary Degree From University Of Exeter

22 June 2022, 15:55

Stormzy received an honorary degree from the University of Exeter
Stormzy received an honorary degree from the University of Exeter. Picture: Alamy / University of Exeter/Instagram

By Kathryn Knight

Stormzy has followed in the footsteps of fellow musicians Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran in receiving an honorary degree.

Stormzy received an honorary degree from the University of Exeter on Tuesday, saying he’s ‘extremely blessed and grateful’ for the honour.

The degree was in recognition of the musician’s ‘outstanding achievement in the field of higher education, philanthropy and widening participation.”

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The rapper gave a heartfelt speech at the ceremony, saying his mum – who was in the audience – always wanted him to go to university when he was younger.

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Stormzy said he was 'extremely blessed and grateful' for the honour
Stormzy said he was 'extremely blessed and grateful' for the honour. Picture: Getty

He joked he was ‘going up in the world.’

“I couldn’t finish my speech without shouting out my mum who’s sitting there. It’s always been her biggest dream for me to go to university and graduate and become someone, so this feels like a full circle moment,” he said during his speech.

Stormzy, real name Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, set up the #Merky Foundation in 2020 and has pledged millions to tackle racial inequality and support justice reform and Black empowerment in the UK.

After launching the foundation he pledged to give away £10m over a decade to organisations fighting racial inequality across the UK.

He began by providing scholarships for Black students at the University of Cambridge.

In 2021 his foundation launched a partnership with HSBC UK to ensure a further 30 ’Stormzy scholars’ were funded over the next three years, including tuition fees and maintenance costs.

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