Katy Perry wishes the education she received as a child would have better prepared her for life. Instead of letting it get her down, the Firework singer has decided to use her international pop star status to promote educational opportunities across America.
In a recent interview with Yahoo! about her “Make Roar Happen” campaign, which raises money for teachers through DonorsChoose.org, the Roar singer said she wished her “really half-Christian, half-education, I-don’t-know-what-they-were schools” had prepared her better.
“I’m kind of bummed at this stage that I didn’t have a great education because I could really use that these days,” she said.
“Make Roar Happen” is a $1 million campaign to raise funds to purchase school supplies for “thousands” of classrooms in cities where Perry’s Prismatic World Tour stops.
Perry said her travels on tour allow her to further her own education.
@katyperry and @Staples Team Up To “Make Roar Happen” – http://t.co/raPvXx50Nd #Entertainment #music #ROAR2014 #roar pic.twitter.com/oVNIwU6Xwy
— Focus of SWFL (@FocusMagazineFL) June 13, 2014
“I’ve learned to educate myself at this stage and how to continue my education at any age,” she said. “I’m going on 30, and I’m still very thirsty for information. On tour, we go to different museums and get to soak up all kinds of different cultural experiences.”
While Perry wasn’t exactly poor growing up, her family couldn’t always afford the little extras like singing lessons. The Prism singer gave a shoutout to one of her own teachers who made the extra effort to help the budding singer. It was the generosity of her teacher that inspired Perry to undertake the “Make Roar Happen” campaign.
“There was a teacher named Agatha Danoff who was my vocal teacher and music teacher at the Music Academy of the West,” she said. “It was very fancy and I didn’t come from any money … and she always used to give me a break on my lessons. I owe her a lot of credit and I appreciate that she looked out for me when I didn’t have enough money to pay. She believed in me, so this is how I could pay it forward from that one experience.”
Two #Boston teachers attended @katyperry's concert, thanks to the "Make Roar Happen" campaign http://t.co/WrxiUBD1DK pic.twitter.com/CQABYXSlNU
— 7News Boston (@7News) August 2, 2014
The singer has another cause that is dear to her heart — Special Olympics. Perry said she recently performed at the White House for the 46th anniversary of the Special Olympics and was moved, honored and filled with a sense of purpose by the opportunity.
“It was an incredible honor and a learning experience,” she said. “I was very moved by one girl in particular who came up to me and was telling me that she wanted to be seen not for her obstacle, but she wanted to be seen as a mother that she is, a daughter that she is, a sister – all these other things that she is, not just because she has an obstacle in her life. It was very touching to me … I felt a sense of purpose and I don’t always feel that way.”
Image via Wikimedia Commons
