69th Parsons School of Design Benefit Honors Rihanna

8-time Grammy winner, CFDA Style Icon, designer, actress and all-around badass Rihanna is getting some well deserved recognition. Last nighg, Rihanna was honored for her philantrhopic work and fashion influence by Parsons School of Desing. Here is what Rihanna said in her speech:

“I don’t think you get celebrated enough. You should be celebrated for every aspect of your growth and your growing pains. You should be celebrated for your creativity, for your fearlessness, for your persistence and determination. You should be celebrated for all the effort that you put into building your future, for being different, for not being given enough credit—for not having to use eye cream! My point is, we often tear our youth down when we should be building them up. At the end of the day, our future is in their hands.”

— Rihanna

Rihanna and Donna Karan's Urban Zen Foundation are sending three Parsons students to Haiti this summer to work with local designers on the fashion line. Design Fellowship program is an initiative by Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation and Donna Karan's Urban Zen Foundation.