Congratulations are in order for Yara Shahidi! The 22-year-old Grown-ish star celebrated an amazing achievement on Thursday, May 26: graduating from Harvard! Taking to her Instagram, the new college grad shared a photo album filled with gorgeous snaps of herself rocking her cap and gown! In one pic, Yara poses like a pro showing off her Harvard crimson jacket and skirt that she wore underneath the black ceremonial garb, as seen here.
Her father, Afshin Shahidi, posted a beautiful photo on his Instagram as well (above), standing next his daughter with his arm around her and wearing a huge smile. “Beautifully surreal moment seeing our delicate petal in full bloom,” he captioned the proud pic.
The amazing feat didn’t go unnoticed by her bounty of big-time friends, as her Grown-ish costar. Diggy Simmons, wrote, “Let’s gooooo !!!” America’s Next Top Model winner and former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Eva Marcille commented, “Congratulations Queen!!!! I’m so proud like we are related. You make us all so proud,” while Fast & Furious star Jordana Brewster added a bunch of clapping hand emojis.
“It’s surreal to have finally hit this major milestone,” Yara told Vogue. “I’ve known I wanted to go to college since I was four. By 17, I knew exactly what I wanted to study, so to see that come to fruition is a goal fulfilled.” Her studies included work with the Social Studies & African American departments, with a concentration on “Black political thought under a neocolonial landscape,” per the outlet. Yara stated that her thesis, titled “I Am a Man: The Emancipation of Humanness from Western Hegemony Through the Lens of Sylvia Wynter,” was a way to “connect these past four years of education to something that connects to what I’m passionate about, and have ground myself in my entire life.”
And as for that stunning outfit she wore underneath the graduation gown? It was Dior, of course! “The idea is inspired by a classic Dior silhouette, and a classic Yara silhouette,” she told Vogue. “We decided to align with school spirit by utilizing crimson red suiting. I wanted to make sure the look didn’t feel too formal, but leaned into the fact that this is a joyous occasion—something that felt vibrant and bright.” Smart choice, Harvard grad!