Tyra Banks is a supermodel, TV host, NY Times Best Selling author, and actress. Now she can add Ivy League grad to her long list of accomplishments.
Banks dropped out of college at 17 to pursue a career in modeling, but gave University a second go at the prestigious school in 2010 to better her brand.
Banks, the creator and host of America’s Next Top Model, graduated with a certificate from the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Friday.
“In order for my company to grow and be the best, and to reach these women, and to serve them, I needed the best,” Banks (CEO of Bankable Productions) told CBS News in 2011. “So I went to the best.”
Banks admitted that her decision to pursue higher education was met with skepticism at first. “When people have low expectations, you’re just constantly going, ‘Ta-da!’ And they’re like ‘Wow!'” she said. “It doesn’t take a lot to wow them.”
Banks was the first African American woman to appear on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She’s also appeared in a few television shows and films and hosted her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, which ran from 2005-2010.
