In 2014, Yara Shahidi began making her mark as Zoey Johnson on Black-ish, and she hasn't looked back. Over the course of four seasons, TV viewers have followed Zoey as she's navigated school, relationships, real-world issues, and a fellowship with Teen Vogue (hi!) and figured out how to stay true to her family and to herself. But as everyone knows, what grows up must eventually move on, and now Yara is taking Zoey's story to college — and a whole new show.

But how will Zoey cope when it comes to leaving the nest and facing the new challenges college has to offer? And how does Yara feel about experiencing her character's evolution simultaneously with her own, as well as learning to vibe with her new costars? Teen Vogue caught up with the actress and activist, who explained why anchoring her own TV show was less nerve-wracking than you'd think. Oh, and as for the actors who play Zoe's new classmates? Yara says they're nothing but a "blessing."

Teen Vogue: Let's start at the beginning. How does it feel to be launching your own show?

Yara Shahidi: It's been such a surreal experience because everything is happening so quickly. I remember I had just finished all of my own college applications when Kenya [Barris, Black-ish's creator] called me, like, "What do you think about a spin-off where your character goes to college?" A little more than a month later we were shooting the pilot, and then we were casting and all of a sudden we're shooting. Everything happened very rapidly, but it's been such a fun process.

I've been Zoey Johnson for four, going on five years and to be able to see her grow so rapidly and create a new show has been so much fun. Kenya is the ultimate collaborator and so awesome to work for and with. As somebody who cares about Zoey's story, it's been such a beautiful time to figure out who she is, and who she is in relation to this fabulous cast of people that we have. I just love my cast. We have a group chat going and it's fantastic and we miss each other when we're not around each other and that's just a cool moment to have.

TV: College is a huge time of change for a lot of people. How are you approaching Zoey's growth?

YS: It's funny because I know her and I don't. There are certain things that I know that she does because after four seasons on Black-ish, those things are innate in who Zoey is. At the same time, Zoey hasn't had many opportunities to really explore her full range of emotions. In the Johnson family she always has it together or is slightly annoyed by the rest of her family or is being the big sister/care taker. She has a very particular role. In college, that role can expand.

Even within the pilot episode, Zoey has some realization about what she needs to do and I was like, "I've never had to do this as Zoey before." I've never had to be concerned and sad and all of a sudden realize something and be passionate and rush out in a fit without saying anything. It's a constant process. What's nice is I'm submerged in it and so I get to grow naturally with the material and the character and figure out how she would respond. She's going though a part of her life that I haven't even experienced yet so I'm kind of figuring out how would Yara respond? versus how would Zoey respond? It's creating two different points of view at the same time.