6 Brainy, Beautiful Black Women Who Graduated From Harvard
Smize On The Prize—6 Black Women Who Continue Richard T. Greener’s Harvard Legacy - Page 7
6. Aoki Lee Simmons, 22
Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty
Aoki Lee Simmons is the youngest daughter of Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons and fashion designer/former model Kimora Lee Simmons. So, it comes as no surprise that she “would like to change the idea that you can’t be smart and pretty, or you can’t be smart and enjoy your looks.”
At just 16, Aoki made history as one of the youngest Black women to get accepted to Harvard. What’s more, she also decided to pursue a modeling career while studying.
When questioned on Instagram about her decision to split her time between these two seemingly dissimilar passions she simply responded, “models aren’t uneducated.”
In June 2023, the then-20-year-old earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in classics from the Ivy League school for which she told People magazine: “I feel grateful, proud and relieved—in that order!”
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