Black Girl Magic: Jhené Aiko Received The Inspiration Award At Apex For Youth’s 26th Anniversary Gala
April 26, 2018
Karen Wong, Jhene Aiko
Last night, Grammy-nominated recording artist, author, and activist Jhené Aikoreceived the Inspiration Award at Apex for Youth’s 26th Anniversary Gala held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
Jhené was honored for her philanthropic work and accomplishments with organizations such as award-winning non-profit organization Get Schooled. Jhené’s #PennysPen campaign with Viacom-owned Get Schooled launched in 2017 promoting the use of the power of media, technology and pop culture to motivate and inspire young people to engage in paths toward higher education. The campaign engaged over 45 million nationwide. Jhené also launched the W.A.Y.S. foundation with her family, an acronym for “Why aren’t you smiling,” in honor of her late brother, which is dedicated to instilling hope into the lives of those who need help.
Joined by fellow honorees Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, Co-Owners of Opening Ceremony and John C Jay, President of Global Creative at Fast Retailing, each recipient was celebrated their outstanding leadership in the youth community instilling values such as confidence, college-readiness, and giving back.
Others in attendance include designers Phillip Lim, who dressed Jhené for the event, Dao-Yi Chow, Maxwell Osborne, Phillip Lim, Prabal Gurung, actress and model Tao Okamoto, olympic medalists Alex and Maia Shibutani and many more.
About Apex For Youth: Apex for Youth delivers possibilities to underserved Asian and immigrant youth from low-income families in NYC. The program includes various activities that cultivate leadership and a sense of community service, academic enrichment, and extracurricular classes that the students may not be exposed to during the regular school day. Check out more photos on the flip!