'Wakanda forever!' Lupita Nyong'o surprises delighted students at an all-girls STEM school in Atlanta - before giving them a powerful pep talk about their bright futures
- The 36-year-old Oscar-winning actress spoke to the students at Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy, in Atlanta on Thursday, May 16
- Lupita gave the students a pep talk about the importance of learning after a group of students were given an award
- The group was awarded the 'Most Likely to Succeed' superlative from Good Morning America's Yearbook
- 'As you go out there, I wish you the very best. Know that the future is literally yours and it's wrapped in a pretty little box called the present,' Lupita said
- Also speaking at the school on Thursday was Bernice King - the youngest child of Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr.
- She said: 'My mother would be super proud today because she said "women are the soul of the nation and to be saved you must become a soul"'
Students at a STEM school in Atlanta received an overwhelming surprise as they gathered for an assembly on Thursday, May 16.
The entire student body at all-girls school Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy, in Atlanta, appeared shocked and delighted when Lupita Nyong'o graced the stage in a surprise appearance.
The 36-year-old Oscar-winning actress spoke to the group of young girls, as she gave them a pep talk about the importance of learning and how it can help them progress in life.
Wow! Lupita Nyong'o surprised students at all-girls school Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy, in Atlanta on Thursday, May 16
Excited! Students seemed thrilled to see the Oscar-winning actress, who had turned up to give them a pep talk about the importance of learning and their futures
Special: The 36-year-old actress said: 'As you go out there, I wish you the very best. Know that the future is literally yours and it's wrapped in a pretty little box called the present'
The Kenyan-Mexican actress delivered a powerful speech at the school after a group of sixth graders were given the 'Most Likely to Succeed' superlative from Good Morning America's Yearbook.
A marching band led her onto the stage for her big entrance, and students looked both shocked and delighted when Lupita appeared on stage.
Powerful: Lupita, pictured recently at the Met Gala after party, told the students that the he ability to learn 'is what will get you through school but it's also what's going to get you through life'
Speaking to the students, the actress stressed the importance of learning.
She said: 'It's such an honor to be here with you today partly because I was never any good at science, or technology or engineering or math.
'But also because I feel like I am looking into the faces of the future and it gives me deep hope to see how open, how alive and how positive that future could be,' she added.
'When I look into this room I see problem solvers. I see creative thinkers. I see activists.
'But most importantly I see women who are learning how to learn and learners change the world,' she added.
Lupita, who graduated with a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama in 2012, told the students that the he ability to learn 'is what will get you through school but it's also what's going to get you through life'.
'So as you leave and face the big, bad world, know that your curiosity is something that should guide you, that you should nurture, and you should protect,' she said.
The actress told the group of young girls that their 'superpower' is learning.
Share this article
Inspired: The actress delivered a powerful speech at the school after a group of sixth graders were given the 'Most Likely to Succeed' superlative from Good Morning America's Yearbook
She continued: 'You can adapt and set goals for yourself and achieve them and shatter the limits that others might set for you.
'As you go out there, I wish you the very best. Know that the future is literally yours and it's wrapped in a pretty little box called the present.
Wow! Lupita awarded the school with a $25,000 check from Donors Choose in order for them to buy school supplies and projects
'So open it, and own your future now by learning, and loving learning every day,' she concluded.
After her speech, she gave the audience a 'Wakanda Forever' salute, leaving the students in hysterics as they applauded her and mimicked the gesture.
As well as speaking to the girls, she awarded the school with a $25,000 check from Donors Choose in order for them to buy school supplies and projects.
Also speaking at the school on Thursday was Bernice King - the youngest child of Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr.
Giving her advice to the young girls, the 56-year-old said: 'Don't give up and don't let anybody tell you you can't because you were put on this Earth for a reason.
'Each one of you are an answer to a question and a solution to a problem, so go out there and solve whatever it is that's in your heart and go out there and answer those difficult questions in our world,' she added.
She also said: 'My mother would be super proud today because she said "women are the soul of the nation and to be saved you must become a soul" and these young ladies are the soul of our nation.'
Brilliant! After her speech, she gave the audience a 'Wakanda Forever' salute, leaving the students in hysterics as they applauded her and mimicked the gesture
Exciting: The actress, who graduated with a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama in 2012, shared an image to Instagram later that day to thank the students for having her
Awareness: She also posted stories to her Instagram page before she headed on stage to surprise the students
The motto of the all-girl's school, which aims to 'develop globally competitive leaders by providing a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum', is Empowering Every Girl, Every Day.
The group of students from the school won the award for their efforts in raising and selling quail eggs in their community.
They also supply residents in the area with fresh fruit and vegetables from an organic garden in the school.
Many residents in the neighborhood where the girls, known as the 'Quail Guardians', have limited access to fresh food.
According to Live Science, STEM STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
However, unlike the traditional approach to learning, students learn the curriculum in an interdisciplinary and applied approach.
Rather than teaching the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications.
