Shakira appointed to President Obama's Hispanic Educational Advisory Commission

Columbian pop star Shakira was tapped by President Obama to join his President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Along with four other individuals, she will find ways to help provide more educational opportunites for Hispanic students. Sharika is no stranger to this kind of work as she has founded her own educational organization, the Barefoot Foundation and served as a Goodwill Ambassador.

From the White House:

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer.

In addition to her career in music, Ms. Mebarak Ripoll has been involved in a number of global educational efforts. She founded the Barefoot Foundation in 1995, which operates schools and educational projects in Colombia, South Africa, and Haiti, feeding and educating approximately 6,000 children.

In 2010, she collaborated with the World Bank and the Barefoot Foundation to establish an initiative that distributes educational and developmental programs for children across Latin America.

In 2008, Ms. Mebarak Ripoll served as the Honorary Chair of the Global Campaign for Education's Global Action Week. In 2005, she became a founding member of Latin America in Solidarity Action, a coalition of artists and business leaders seeking to promote integrated early childhood public policies.Ms. Mebarak Ripoll became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in 2003, where she promotes the expansion and improvement of comprehensive early childhood care and education across the world.