Storm Reid is Hollywood’s it girl. From advocacy to fashion to the latest blockbusters on both the big screen and small, Storm Reid is everywhere. Additionally, she’s a full-time college student at USC. How does she do it all? Well, recently, the talented teen sat down with Girls United to talk about how she juggles it all and dishes on the one thing that she has learned about college so far…”…it’s hard.”
“I think there’s just a lot going on with juggling school and work, but I’ve kind of gotten used to that. So it’s just [taking] it one day at a time, baby steps, and just trying not to get overwhelmed,” Reid told Girls United in her interview.
She continued, proud to also be a part of the Dark & Lovely brand’s multi-year initiative to close the opportunity gap for Black female college students.
“As a young Black college student who goes to USC, I am able to meet all people from different walks of life obviously. Some people, specifically some Black young women, don’t have the same opportunities as others. To be able to just celebrate them and be able to award them book scholarships I think is something that will help them down the line and just something that I’m super duper appreciative to be a part of.”
Just when we thought that we couldn’t love her anymore, take a look at a few of the excerpts from her interview below.
Girls United: How do you create a sense of balance while juggling everything in your life, and what mechanisms and methods do you use to stay organized?
Storm Reid: “I think it’s just really helpful to have a good support system around me, which I have. My team, my family, my friends – they always keep me grounded [and] always allow me to take space when I need it and take a break. I’m a big believer or firm believer in [taking a break]. For the next couple of days, I’m going to spend time with my friends before I go off to France to shoot a movie. I think those are the things that keep me going, being organized as much as possible with my schoolwork, and having my schedule for my regular work. Again, it’s really, really helpful to have a strong support system and great people around me that keep me grounded and remind me to take a deep breath when I need to.”
GU: Back to your schoolin’ life, what were some of your most fun memories from freshman year at USC?
Reid: “Freshman year was really fun. I went out a lot to college festivities, whether that was the basketball games or the football games. I enjoyed and still do enjoy my second year, but I enjoy it when I’m able to fully immerse myself in my studies and be able to hang out with my friends. Sometimes we do a whole lot of nothing, watch movies, and sit around or we’ll do activities, but just to be able to have that bit of normalcy is something that I do really appreciate.”
GU: What initially sparked your decision that you wanted to go to college, and why is it important for you to advocate for education for young Black and brown girls?
Reid: “I wanted to go to college because I felt like I was doing so many amazing things in my career and I’m feeling very fulfilled in that aspect of my life, but I had been homeschooled from sixth grade to graduation and I felt like I was missing something. I didn’t go to high school at all and I just wanted to have that normalcy, so I applied to a few schools. I was really apprehensive even when I was applying to the schools. I didn’t really know if I was going to go, even if I got in but once I got into USC, I thought it was a no-brainer because that’s a pretty big deal to even get into USC and I didn’t want to pass the up that opportunity.
“I think whether you go to college or not, to be able to be an active listener, an active learner, and have people pour knowledge into you, it’s such a blessing and something that people take for granted every day. Whether you’re in a college setting or not, to be able to just broaden your horizon and learn new things every day is something that is so beautiful. To be able to give these young Black girls scholarships to be able to pursue their passions is something that is truly awe-inspiring. College was the way that I went, but it’s not necessarily the route that everybody has to go, but I do highly recommend it.”
GU: What were some of the toughest lessons that you learned during freshman year?
Reid: “That it’s hard. Going into college, I knew it was going to be challenging, but I think it was reiterated that the classes are hard. Having to get up for 8ams is tough. I think with college, it’s really ‘mind over matter,’ and if you really prioritize your studies and you allocate enough time to be able to do your homework, study, and do all the things that you need to do to be successful academically, then it’s not that bad but you do have to apply yourself. Once you apply yourself and get in the groove of things, I think it becomes way easier. First year, I was definitely overwhelmed by moving out, having all these friends, trying to balance social life and academics, and traveling all the time but I think I got a pretty good hang of it. I’m not saying that it’s less hard, but I think I know how to manage the stress a little bit more.”
To read the interview in its entirety, click here.
We cannot wait to see what Storm has in store for us all next on her list. We know that the The Nun 2 is on the horizon and she is going to unquestionably score box office gold with her performance!
Photo Credit: Storm Reid Instagram
