20 women under 30 who are making a difference in the world

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 03: Yara Shahidi poses on the Winners Walk during the CFDA Fashion Awards at the Brooklyn Museum of Art on June 03, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Yara Shahidi

You probably recognize Yara Shahidi from Black-ish and her Freeform spinoff Grown-ish, or perhaps her movie The Sun is Also A Star. However, it is not her acting abilities that make her one of our empowering women under 30, although they have certainly helped to put her in the spotlight.

Instead, Shahidi is a philanthropist, an advocate, and of course a role model. Not only is she a strong proponent of political awareness, but she also encourages people to get out and vote. She has actively worked to convince her peers of the power of voting by launching a campaign known as Eighteen x 18.

And that’s not all, Shahidi has given speeches about the need for representation in Hollywood, she has worked with organizations trying to bring healthcare to all, and it is her desire for learning that makes her not just an empowering woman, but also an inspiration (for women of all ages).

Yara Shahidi was accepted into Harvard in 2017 and even received a letter of recommendation for college from Michelle Obama after the two worked together on an educational initiative called Let Girls Learn. These accomplishments alone are enough to have us feeling inspired, especially considering all of the ways that Shahidi is trying to make a difference in the world around her.