Tyler Perry ‘Generously Covered’ a Woman’s Harvard Graduate School Tuition Balance: ‘Thank You for Investing in My Purpose’

Kimberlee SpeakmanSat, August 1, 2026 at 8:24 PM UTC

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Tyler Perry in 2026; Janay Duberry in 2025Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage; Janay DuBerry/Instagram -

Tyler Perry covered the financial gap for Janay Duberry’s Harvard Graduate School of Education tuition, the student revealed on Instagram on July 31

The Tuskegee University graduate plans to pursue a master’s in education to further her work as a writer and educator

Perry previously donated to TSA workers and families impacted by government shutdowns in 2025 and 2026

An Alabama woman is going to Harvard — partly thanks to Tyler Perry.

Janay Duberry revealed on Instagram on Friday, July 31, that the 56-year-old filmmaker and actor helped to cover her Harvard Graduate School of Education tuition fees so she could attend the Ivy League school.

“After years of writing, building, networking, and earning my degree at Tuskegee University, I was accepted into Harvard,” Duberry wrote. “Harvard gave me generous financial aid, but I still faced a significant financial gap and did not know how I would make this dream a reality.”

Janay Duberry in 2025Credit: Janay DuBerry/Instagram

However, she said “God made a way,” and it was in the form of Perry stepping in to assist and believing “in my gifts as a writer and educator.”

Duberry continued, “Your generosity has opened the door for me to continue my education, strengthen my voice as a writer and educator, and move closer to the forthcoming books and educational work I have been building.”

“You are a true light in the Black community. I love you, and I am overwhelmed, humbled, and grateful beyond words,” she added. “Thank you for investing in my purpose and helping make this dream a reality 🤎.”

In another post, Duberry said she plans to get a master’s in education after graduating from Alabama’s Tuskegee University.

She wasn’t the only one who praised Perry for the donation. Vanderbilt University professor and author Michael Eric Dyson also shared a post thanking the Tyler Perry Studios founder.

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“The great @tylerperry is one of the most generous human beings on earth — changing the life trajectory of [Duberry],” he wrote on his Instagram Stories.

On Saturday, Aug. 1, Duberry gave more thanks to Perry on Instagram.

“He generously covered the remaining balance of my tuition, allowing me to enter this next chapter with greater stability and peace of mind,” she wrote. “Mother Tuskegee prepared me to walk through doors I once only dreamed about. Harvard became the next chapter, but Tuskegee will always be the foundation. From Mother Tuskegee to Harvard, I carry every lesson, every prayer, and every person who helped me rise.”

Tyler Perry in February 2026Credit: Derek White/Getty

This isn’t the first time that Perry has used his money to help out. In March, he gave $1,000 gift cards to about 250 TSA officers working at Atlanta’s airport during the partial government shutdown.

He also donated nearly $1.4 million to organizations supporting those impacted by the loss of the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the government shutdown in November 2025.

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“If you’ve never been poor then you may not fully understand the life changing impact SNAP benefits mean to hard-working people, to our seniors and to our children,” the Madea director told PEOPLE at the time. “For millions of people, it could mean extreme hunger. For newborns, it could mean a lack of access to formula.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”