Storm Reid likes to keep things cute on social media, often posting videos with friends as they do the latest dance craze and snapshots of her flyest fits and fun outings. However, if provoked, she will switch gears and gently remind folks that she is not limited to her beauty nor her talent. She is also an educated young lady nearing the completion of her matriculation at the University of Southern California.
The actress, 21, will graduate with a bachelor's degree from the institution’s School of Dramatic Arts with a minor in African American Studies on May 16. Her résumé of roles includes portraying Gia on HBO’s “Euphoria” opposite Zendaya and appearances in Twelve Years a Slave, A Wrinkle in Time, and the thriller-mystery Missing with Nia Long, just to name a few. Her moves in the industry have been impressive, to say the least, and she has done much of it while juggling her schoolwork. “Love that she has an acting career and was able to go to college and graduate. That’s such a huge flex,” gushed one supporter on a video of Storm and her mother, Robyn Simpson Reid, playfully grooving to “I’m so ATL” by Bankroll Ni.
Storm is not allowing her light to be dimmed by others
When faced with a critic who commented, “College isn’t a flex; success is, and college isn’t needed to be successful. College just pushes people into debt unless you’re becoming a doctor or something. A lot of people don’t even use their degrees,” Storm chose to provide a response.
In an April 23 TikTok, she said, “If you know, you know, I don’t be responding to comments, especially via video. But it says, 'College isn’t a flex; success is.' So, what do we call my success plus going to college? My success plus getting a degree?” The scholar did at least see eye to eye on one of the naysayer’s points. “You’re right, college isn’t for everybody, but it was for me. I wanted to go. I felt like I needed to go, and I was able to do that. And work full-time. But I wanted to work, and I wanted to further my education, so I did that. I’m almost done,” she boasted. Storm also noted, “I’m all for people having their own opinions, but let’s just, let’s be real. Let’s tap into reality. I did that, and I also got an Emmy while doing it in college. Twenty years old. Junior in college.”
Deciding to attend college is one of the best decisions Storm has ever made
"I was feeling very fulfilled as a young person that was working but not necessarily as a young person experiencing young-people things," she told People about settling into life at USC. "I get to experience things that people will never get to experience in their lifetime, which I'm cognizant of, and I'm very grateful for. But I do want to go to the football games, I do want to go to the parties, [and] I do want to just go hang out with my friends and walk around campus at 3:00 a.m. sometimes,” continued the global voice of Maybelline makeup.
Storm’s 2024 Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series Emmy win galvanized her as an unstoppable force on TV
She took home the trophy for her portrayal of Riley Abel in the post-apocalyptic HBO drama “The Last of Us.” “I think my role in ‘The Last of Us’ really reinforced my love and passion to be able to tell meaningful stories and to be a representation for young women, young Black women, young, queer Black women,” she said when speaking with press backstage at the award ceremony, per Deadline.