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Pharrell Williams Wins Cybersmiler Of The Month Award For July

Students at Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy were surprised by the announcement that they would all receive guaranteed internships made in a speech by Pharrell at the college. We love that Pharrell is using his platform to secure the futures of so many young people - well done Pharrell!

It’s that time of the month again when we announce the winner of our highly-coveted Cybersmiler of the Month Award. Each month we acknowledge and award somebody who has gone over and above to improve the lives of others – and this month’s winner has certainly done that!

We are proud to announce Pharrell Williams as the winner of July’s Cybersmiler of the Month Award for changing the lives of 114 graduating students in one fell swoop!

Pharrell, who’s 2013 hit ‘Happy’ delighted millions of music fans around the world, recently announced that he will be guaranteeing all 114 graduating students from the Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy “A-list” internships at the end of their freshman year of college, enabling them to begin their paths to successful careers.

Students at Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy were understandably surprised and relieved by the announcement made in a speech by Pharrell at the college. One student commented on what this announcement meant for struggling graduates searching for meaningful internships and how relieved they were “to at least know we had a head start in life because next summer we would be able to get internships and make connections.”

Harlem Children’s Zone CEO Anne Williams-Isom spoke of how the faculty had worked with Pharrell to develop an internship program that would give students better access to business opportunities and connections after graduation.

“In order for us to get our community, these children, and these families out of poverty, we want to make sure that they are connected to a liveable wage,” Williams-Isom said. “And we know that for so many of our young people, the way that they’re going to be able to do that is with that college degree in their hands, but also with some experience from very good internships that they will be able to do while they’re in college.”

Anne Williams-Isom, CEO, Harlem Children’s Zone

We think that Pharrell is an absolute hero for helping all these young people to follow their dreams and is a well deserved winner of our award – great work Pharrell!

You can explore the Cybersmiler of the Month Award winners Hall of Fame to see a full list of previous recipients and learn more about becoming a brand sponsor of the award here.

Remember to let us know if you see any celebrities or brands going the extra mile to make the world a better place. To learn more about Cybersmile and our work, please explore the suggestions below:

What are your thoughts about Pharrell changing all these lives? Share your thoughts by contacting us or tweet us @CybersmileHQ.