Yara Shahidi is now a Harvard graduate.
As fans will note, Shahidi has been counting down the days until graduation on Instagram as late, ultimately sharing a commemorative post on Thursday.
“Yara (noun): a Harvard graduate,” the 22-year-old wrote when sharing a pair of graduation photos taken by Paul Mardy.
A Vogue piece published Thursday offers more insight, including word that Shahidi selected a custom two-piece suit styled by Jason Bolden from Dior to pair with the usual cap-and-gown look. While working on her 136-page thesis, titled “I Am a Man: The Emancipation of Humanness from Western Hegemony Through the Lens of Sylvia Wynter,” Shahidi said she felt “pushed” as an academic. The experience also provided the unique opportunity of being able to connect Shahidi’s passions with the journey behind the four-year education at Harvard.
“Having a final product, and being in conversation with people who appreciate what I had to offer, was a necessary way to end my journey with a newfound confidence,” Shahidi told Vogue.
Speaking with Complex last year about her grown-ish character Zoey’s own college-related experiences, Shahidi touted the Black-ish spinoff’s approach to tapping into the multiple facets of this particular chapter in a person’s life.
“I think not only does it make life more interesting and cooler, but I think a part of growing up and continuing to develop your take on the world is constantly introducing new perspectives,” Shahidi said at the time. “So much of college, I think, is continuing to expand what you thought your world was.”