Yara Shahidi has crossed the finish line.
According to People, the Grown-ish and Black-ish star has officially graduated from Harvard University. While we are excited for her, it was also hard for Shahidi to contain her excitement, even creating a series of posts leading up to the big day on Instagram.
“Celebrating ALL week! T MINUS 
DAY AWAY FROM GRADUATION,” she said in one post.
Shahidi's Studies
Vogue reports that while attending Harvard University, Yara Shahidi studied in the institution’s Social Studies & African American department and focused on “Black political thought under a neocolonial landscape.”
During her four years at the university, coupled with a gap year, Shahidi wrote a 136-page thesis titled “I Am a Man: The Emancipation of Humanness from Western Hegemony Through the Lens of Sylvia Wynter,” which dives into the work of the Jamaican writer and cultural theorist. Although it was no easy task, completing the thesis was proof Shahidi can do it all.
“It was important for me, as a young adult, to prove to myself—during these times of transition—that I am capable, and perhaps more capable than I give myself credit,” Shahidi said, according to Vogue. “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. I was grateful so many people were willing to be there for me, in expected and unexpected ways.”
What's Next For Shahidi?
As Shahidi looks ahead, she will still be involved in future acting projects and plans to pursue opportunities centered around her academic work.
“I love what I do in the acting, entertainment, and producing worlds. I am so excited for this future moment of being able to pour my all into all of those areas,” said Shahidi. “For the majority of my career, I’ve always had an essay or assignment due. This feels like a new chapter where I can invest time into more of what I love to do.”
She continued: “As somebody that always tries to be socially engaged, I am looking forward to being able to deepen my work. My concentration emphasized that by studying our history, and our past and projected futures. I’m most excited by creating opportunities to exercise what I’ve learned—and to be flexible to learn so much more.”
