Woman to Watch Out For: Zendaya Coleman
By Grace Passanante ’20, Contributing Writer
This week’s Woman to Watch Out For is up-and-coming young actress and singer Zendaya Coleman. This past July, Zendaya made her film debut as the character Michelle in director Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Homecoming (received 92% on rotten tomatoes). Although she only has about 10 minutes total of screen time, Zendaya makes an effort to make her character worth her time, as well as the audiences.
As she sits in the corner of a high school classroom, Michelle throws witty jokes at Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon). Although she may appear as a side role, Zendaya’s presence is understood to be important at the end of the movie when it is revealed that she will be in future Marvel movies (no spoilers!)
Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman, now 21 years old, was born in Oakland, California to Claire Marie Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamy. Her name means “to give thanks” in Shona, a language native to Zimbabwe. She is the youngest of six children on her father’s side. Zendaya’s passion for acting and obvious talent is most likely rooted in the fact that she grew up around it, as her mother is the house manager and trainer for conservatory students at the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, California. Zendaya attended the Oakland School for the Arts where she performed in Once on This Island, and Caroline, or Change. She then went on to study at the American Conservatory Theater and the CalShakes Conservatory Program.
Before she appeared in Marvel Comics movies, Zendaya first made an appearance as a fashion model for Macy’s, Mervyns, and Old Navy. As she continued up the ranks in the entertainment industry, she landed a role as Rocky Blue in Disney Channel’s well-known show, Shake it Up (2010). Her first movie role was as character Hally Brandon in Disney Channel’s Frenemies (2012). She also became a trailblazer for young Dancing with the Stars contestants when, at age 16, she became the youngest contestant to ever to participate on the show.
In between her role as a Dancing with the Stars member and a movie star, Zendaya wrote a book called Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style and Confidence. She also starred as the main character in Zapped, another Disney Channel Original Movie. Even more impressive, Zendaya has done a large amount of charity work in her lifetime.
She is an ambassador for Convoy of Hope, and donated enough money to feed 150 children on her eighteenth birthday through the organization feedONE. Demonstrating an alliance with feminist views, she also raised $50,000 for Convoy’s Women Empowerment Initiative.
Zendaya’s music career has also been quite successful, having released her first single “Swag it Out” in 2011. She then signed a record deal with Hollywood Records on Aug. 8, 2012. Before she released her first album, Zendaya, in 2014, she released her single “Replay,” which ended up as number 40 on the US charts in 2013. She also released singles called “My Jam” (2015) and “This is For My Girls” (2016). Her most recent release is “Something New” featuring Chris Brown.
What else can she do? The young star even has a clothing line called “Daya by Zendaya” which is the epitome of her unique, chic, modern, and practical fashion style. The clothes are reasonably priced and therefore affordable for a wide-range of shoppers. Whether it be on the movie screen, in a TV show, or while online shopping, keep an eye out for this up-and-coming young woman, for not only is she an actress, but also a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and singer!
