Colombian pop star and part-time philanthropist, Shakira, began her official duties on Thursday as an advisory to U.S President Barack Obama’s official committee to improve Hispanic education levels.
Shakira, who is the founder and director of educational NGO the Barefoot Foundation, said of her role on the President’s Advisory Committee on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, “there is no better investment than the investment in our children, especially when they are very young.”
The Colombian told the assembly that she hopes to be able to share some of what she has learned over the years from her humanitarian work, which has seen her involved with various educational projects that have included work with World Bank and the United Nations.
Shakira, who was named Latin Grammy’s person of the year for her philanthropic endeavors, was appointed by President Obama Wednesday along with a number of other prominent American leaders who have worked to try and improve the education levels of various minorities.
The commission’s goal is to improve the academic achievement levels of Hispanic students in the United States.
Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the U.S, but they are also the group with the lowest education attainment levels in the country.