There’s a certain magic that comes with giving back to the city that raised you and Travis Scott is no stranger to this as he continues to do the unthinkable for the youth through his Cactus Jack foundation.
The Houston native just announced the launch in conjunction with Houston’s third annual Travis Scott Day, created to celebrate the rapper’s contributions to the city that raised him along with his successful Astroworld Festival. The foundation has agreed to a multi-year partnership with the New School’s Parsons School of Design along with the city of Houston, according to Complex.
Their first initiative includes the kickoff of the HBCU Waymon Webster program named after Scott’s grandfather.
“Waymon Webster was a Dean of Prairie View A&M graduate school,” said Scott in a press release. “My grandfather wanted me to take it all the way through college, I feel there is a power in education so to be able to give someone the opportunity to fulfill that dream as my papa thought for me is amazing.”
Select HBCU students will have their tuition fees covered for the 2020-21 academic year under the new program. The first round of recipients was hand-selected by Scott and are currently enrolled in his mother’s alma mater, Grambling State University, Prairie View A&M University — where his father attended school — Howard University, and Morehouse College.
Cactus Jack’s partnership with Houston will also benefit recreational and school programs like the Cactus Jack Gardens, a community garden program that teaches elementary school students agricultural economics and nutritional skills.
The program also teamed up with Parsons to offer a first-of-its-kind design program to bring the school’s curriculum to Houston through My Brother’s Keeper, an online certification program available to students nationwide via scholarships.
“Parsons is proud to partner with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation to bring fashion education to high school students who have traditionally been underrepresented in creative disciplines,” said executive dean of the New School’s Parsons School of Design, Rachel Schreiber, according to Complex. “Parsons and Travis Scott share a deep commitment to educating young designers who are just beginning their exploration of fashion and design. We are excited to collaborate with the Cactus Jack Foundation to offer this immersive course led by Parsons award-winning faculty.”
