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What's is this person's background? Where did they grow up? Under what circumstances?

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What's is this person's background? Where did they grow up? Under what circumstances?

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Yara Sayeh Shahidi was born in  Minneapolis, Minnesota.The daughter of an African-American mother and Iranian father, Yara started her career shooting in commercials for the likes of McDonald's, Ralph Lauren , Disney and Target. The family moved to California for Afshin's work when Yara was 4 years old.

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Yara Sayeh Shahidi (born February 10, 2000) is an American actress, model, and activist. She gained recognition for her starring role as the oldest daughter Zoey Johnson on the sitcom (2014-present) and its spin-off series (2018-present). Her film credits include Imagine That (2009), Smallfoot (2018), and the lead role in The Sun Is Also a Star (2019). Time included her on "The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016" list.

Yara Sayeh Shahidi was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Keri Salter Shahidi and Afshin Shahidi, a photographer. Her mother, Keri Salter, is of mixed African American and Native Choctaw heritage, and her father, Afshin, is Iranian. The family moved to California for Afshin's work when Yara was 4 years old. She is the older sister of child actor and model Sayeed Shahidi and they have a younger brother, Ehsan. The rapper Nas is their cousin.

Keri Shahidi states the name Yara means in Persian "Someone who is close to your heart", the name Sayeed means "Blessing", and Ehsan means "To act as though God is watching".

Shahidi graduated in 2017 from Dwight Global Online School. Starting in 2018, Shahidi began college at Harvard University with a plan to major in Interdisciplinary Sociology and African American Studies.

She began her career when she was 6 years old, appearing in television commercials and print advertisements for companies such as McDonald's, Ralph Lauren, Target, GapKids, Disney, Guess Kids and The Children's Place. She frequently worked with her mother and younger brother in various print and broadcast campaigns.

Shahidi made her cinematic debut in 2009, starring opposite Eddie Murphy in Paramount Pictures' Imagine That, for which she received a Young Artist Award nomination for the best performance in a feature film category. She also appeared in the Angelina Jolie action film in 2010 as a next door neighbor. In 2012, she played Chloe Johnson, the daughter of President William Johnson, in the TV series The First Family.

Starting in September 2014, Shahidi began her role in ABC's prime-time comedy as 14-year-old Zoey Johnson. In December 2014 she won an NAACP Image Award in the category of 'Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy'.

In 2016, she signed to model with New York's Women Management modeling agency, in hopes of providing a platform to see more women of color in diverse roles.

ABC announced in 2017 that Shahidi would be headlining a spinoff, titled , on its sister network Freeform. The series premiered on January 3, 2018.

She was ranked one of the best dressed women in 2018 by fashion website Net-a-Porter.

She was one of fifteen women selected to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue, by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

In 2020, Shahidi and her mother launched their production company 7th Sun and signed a deal with ABC Studios to produce shows. She was recently cast as Tinker Bell in the upcoming remake Peter Pan & Wendy.

Shahidi founded Eighteen x 18 with social news publisher NowThis, which "will be a platform to encourage [her] peers to vote for the very first time in our upcoming midterm elections." Her other organizations include Yara's Club a partnership with Young Women's Leadership Network (YWLN) of New York, which provides online mentorship in hopes to end poverty through education.

Shahidi's activism was noticed by former first lady Michelle Obama, who wrote her a letter of recommendation to Harvard University. She was also given the opportunity by to interview Hillary Clinton in 2017.

In 2021, Yara Shahidi joined the Dior Stand with Women campaign.

Television

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Yara Sayeh Shahidi (born February 10, 2000) is an American actress, model, and activist. She gained recognition for her starring role as the oldest daughter Zoey Johnson on the sitcom (2014-present) and its spin-off series (2018-present). Her film credits include Imagine That (2009), Smallfoot (2018), and the lead role in The Sun Is Also a Star (2019).

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What adversity did this person experience that motivated them to make a difference in the world?

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What adversity did this person experience that motivated them to make a difference in the world?

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"I feel like activism has always been ingrained into who I am because of how my parents have raised me," Yara told Teen Vogue in 2017. Among her generation Yara is known as an activist for feminism and STEM awareness, passions that spawned early and may be partly hark back to her paternal grandfather who spent time with the Black Panthers.

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A breakout TV star and social activist, Yara Shahidi has become an unofficial spokeswoman for the younger generation eager to get involved in politics and social justice. Earlier in 2018, Shahidi appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar Arabia and is a brand ambassador for Chanel.

The daughter of an African-American mother and Iranian father, Shahidi started her career shooting in commercials for the likes of McDonald's, Ralph Lauren , Disney and Target. Aged 14, she starred in ABC's prime-time comedy "Black-ish," which earned her the Young Stars Award at the 2017 BET Awards in Los Angeles. A year later, Shahidi appeared in the college-set "Black-ish" spin-off "Grown-ish."

Her theatrical debut came in 2009, as she starred in Paramount Picture's "Imagine That" alongside Eddie Murphy, a role that garnered her a Young Artist Award nomination for the best performance in a feature film category.

From her first starring role in the adaptation of the novel, "The Sun Is Also a Star", the young actress has amassed a large social platform and uses her presence in both the fashion and film industry to advocate for social change.

Among her generation Shahidi is known as an activist for feminism and STEM awareness, passions that spawned early and may be partly hark back to her paternal grandfather who spent time with the Black Panthers in their heyday. Shahidi's father is a cinematographer and photographer, who had a stint as Prince's personal photographer. Inn high-school she started Yara's Club, a partnership with the Young Women's Leadership Network, which provides online mentorship with the goal of ending poverty through education. For her birthday iIn 2018, the activist launched Eighteen x 18, a national initiative that encourages civic engagement and voting from young people. In 2018, Shahidi enrolled in Harvard intending to double major in sociology and African-American studies. She was supported by a recommendation by former first lady, Michelle Obama, commending Shahidi on her efforts to effect social change.

In 2016 Shahidi signed with Women Management, a New York-based agency, and she has since become known as a Gen-Z style icon for her red-carpet choices, styled by Jason Bolden , and her wardrobe as Zoey Johnson in "Black-ish," working with costume designer Michelle Cole. Shahadi has also graced the covers of multiple notable titles, including Harper's Bazaar Araba, Porter Magazine, Elle UK and became a US Ambassador for Chanel. She has also graced the cover of the Summer 2019 issue of Porter and has modelled for Beyoncé's Ivy Park. The rising star is set to star in Stan Lee's Audible drama "A Trick of Light", as one of the platform's exclusive audio tales.

In 2017 she interviewed Hillary Clinton for Teen Vogue.. Her socially transformative work also extends to close ties with the NGOs such as Girls for Gender Equity and the Third Wave Fund.

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A breakout TV star and social activist, Yara Shahidi has become an unofficial spokeswoman for the younger generation eager to get involved in politics and social justice. Earlier in 2018, Shahidi appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar Arabia and is a brand ambassador for Chanel.

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What are the specifics of what this person did to make a difference? What is the story? What are they known for?

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What are the specifics of what this person did to make a difference? What is the story? What are they known for?

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Yara Sayeh Shahidi is an American actress. She gained recognition for her starring role as the oldest daughter Zoey Johnson on the sitcom Black-ish and its spin-off series Grown-ish. When she was in high school she created a group to help educate people in the hopes of ending poverty. When she turned eighteen and was able to vote she launched Eighteen x 18, which is now known as We Vote Next.

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Learn More About Yara Shahidi Through Orchard's "People Project"

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Not only is Miss Shahidi an award-winning actor and activist she is also dedicated to her education. While filming the many projects she has been involved with, Miss Shahidi graduated from high school by taking online classes. In 2018 Miss Shahidi began attending Harvard with a plan to major in Sociology and African American Studies.

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Why did you select them? What was unique about this person that made them stand out to you?

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Why did you select them? What was unique about this person that made them stand out to you?

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Once I came across the show "Grown-ish"  and I began to watch more shows with her in it and I thought she was very pretty . Then i began to look her up and follow her on social media and noticed she was starting a learning program for the poor and began to be a STEM advocate. Yara always stood out to me because of how dedicated she is and always wants to accomplish what she wants and wants to see a difference in.

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What specific awards/honors/accomplishments does this person have?

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What specific awards/honors/accomplishments does this person have?

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Yara has an NAACP Image Award for her role as a supporting actress in Black-ish, a Gracie Award for Female in a Breakthrough Role,Glamour Award for New Gen Gamechanger,was recognized in TIME Magazine’s 30 Most Influential Teens for her acting and humanitarianism, was honored at Essence Magazine’s Black Women in Hollywood Awards, and was honored with BET’s Young Star award at the 2017 BET Awards,she finished her very lengthy thesis at Harvard University. She's 22 years old and has already accomplished many things.

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Yara Shahidi Celebrates Completing Her Thesis Ahead of Harvard Graduation: ‘Let’s Go!’

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The Grown-ish actress is expecting to graduate from Harvard University this year