When Black-ish star Yara Shahidi was applying to colleges, she had no idea she would be sending in a recommendation letter from Michelle Obama, yet that is exactly what ended up happening.
“She is very amazing and such a supporter, which is something very surreal to say,” Shahidi stated to W Magazine.
The actress has so far applied to four-year colleges on both the east and west coasts. One of the schools she has chosen is Harvard. Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law, and her daughter Malia will be matriculated at that school next year.
Also like Malia, Shahidi will be taking off a gap year before she begins university.
“I know when Malia Obama announced [she was deferring], she got a lot of slack, but I feel like what’s interesting is I know so many people that are deferring. It’s more than to just roam around or just sit down and stare at a wall, but it will also give me an opportunity to work,” she said last October. “I’ve been working more than half of my life and that’s always been balanced with school and all of the other responsibilities, so to have a year to focus on work and to focus on specified interests will be nice before I pick a career and choose what I want to study and my life path.”
Just last month, Shahidi was recognized for using her voice for good as well as for being a good role model for her generation.
She intends on double majoring in African American studies and sociology.
