Show Transcript

[MUSIC] So I'm here with Yara from Black-ish. Yoo hoo! What, what? [LAUGH] Welcome to Essence Fest we're so excited to have you here. Thank you. I'm [UNKNOWN] to be here. It's my fourth Essence Fest. That's so exciting. Have you been enjoying it, thus far? Yes. I just came from the 365 Black Awards which were awesome. I saw B.O.B. perform, which was cool. And then I co-hosted Essence Live, which was also very cool. That's so cool. So, we have to talk about this gorgeous hair. And I know you talk about it all the time, but it's just so glorious. So [LAUGH] is there a hair tip you can give out there for the ladies that are natural like you? Protective hairstyles. See, I try not put heat on it until it comes to events, or Work. So what I do I'm honestly like my hairs in a bun half the time. So washing clothes with deep conditioner all the time. Keep it in, wash it out, or do twist outs. I like twist outs cause then I don't have to do as much To curl my hair. Like this, right now, this is a wash and go, I used wonder curl. Yes, I used wonder curl. I usually use eco styler. And then just for the top parts right here that aren't as curly, put a little curl in them, and then I put a pineapple bun at the end of the day and it stays for like five days. Okay, now that is like the greatest hair tip I've ever heard in my life. Pineapples work. Really? Okay, okay, I'll have to take that into consideration. Now speaking of hair, do you have a hair crush out there? Hair crush? Well Tracy is my hair crush. Her hair is glorious. It really is. It is amazing. I remember it was like the first or second episode in, she texted me. She was like hey, do you want to do a quick hair photo shoot in my house? I was like okay, cool. So I come, we basically picked out our hair as big as it possibly got. Her hair is miraculous, it's pretty great. It has super powers. Yes.

Michelle Obama Must Be Proud! Protege Yara Shahidi Got Into Every Single College She Applied To

Let's just say the "Blackish" star has more than enough colleges to choose from as she makes her decision on where to attend school.

READ MORE LESS

By Brandi Fowler · April 12, 2017

This article originally appeared on InStyle.

After Yara Shahidi casually revealed last month that the former FLOTUS Michelle Obama wrote her a recommendation letter for her college applications, the Blackish star revealed she had finally received the results. “I got into every college I applied to,” Shahidi told Seventeen. “So, that’s really exciting. I found all of that out last week. My college plans are all up in the air, but I will choose within the next month.”

Of course, Obama isn’t the only reason why Shahidi was accepted into two Ivy Leagues, four state institutions, and one historically black college. Just one conversation with her will show you just how intelligent, driven, and well-rounded she is, and she also maintained a 4.6 GPA in school, all while starring on her hit ABC show. In addition, Shahidi has a passion for inspiring young people, and has worked alongside Obama on her education initiative Let Girls Learn—among other (separate) projects.

Like Obama’s daughter, Malia, the 17-year-old actress decided to take a year off before she heads to a university. Last October, Shahidi explained why she wanted to do a gap year, telling People, “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.”

Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest in hair, beauty, style and celebrity news.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

A post shared by Yara (يارا‎) Shahidi (@yarashahidi) on Jan 10, 2017 at 11:32pm PST

“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,” Shahidi said. “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.”

When the thesp does enter her freshman year, she plans to double-major in African American studies and sociology. “As much as I want free time, I love to challenge myself,” she told Seventeen of her decision to double major. “And so it really goes back to the point that I want to study as much as possible and [doing] a double major is the solution.”