The sequel series to A Different World premiered on Netflix in the early hours of September 24, and one thing remained clear from the first season: Rashida Duvall is one of the ensemble's standout characters. Duvall, played by Alijah Kai, is Deborah Wayne's roommate and close confidant, and she plays a compelling role in Deborah's life throughout the season. Rashida, book-smart and sharp-witted, is a perfect counterbalance to the often aloof and stubborn Deborah, and the pair pull off several hijinks throughout the first season that showcase Rashida's main-character energy.

Duvall's story is one that viewers can get behind. While Deborah is royalty at Hillman due to the legacy of the Gilbert family and her father, Dwayne Wayne, Rashida has an admirable story of an intelligent student looking to rise above her specific situation, struggling to pay for college, and going through what she has to do to continue her grind towards pursuing her education. She is also industrious and family-oriented, as she openly muses in the opening episodes of the season about working at her family store and even sending money from her refund check back to her family in California to look out for them.

Her budding romance with Kojo, the Ghanaian-Nigerian fashion merchandising major with a huge personality and hustler's heart, is endearing and surprisingly doesn't play second fiddle to Deborah and Shaquille's on-again, off-again relationship. Specifically, the cultural difference between Kojo and Rashida, and their quick friendship-turned-romance, was interesting to see play out on screen, and it could be a thread that carries into future seasons of the sequel series.

Rashida is reminiscent of many students on HBCU campuses

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What also makes Rashida unique is that she isn't just a character in this Netflix series. She reminds me of students across the nation at various HBCUs. Just as Shaquille is seen as a five-star athlete with potential beyond Hillman, Rashida can be considered a five-star student. She already boasts a 4.6 GPA and will certainly be one of the students who would represent Hillman at the national and international level, canonically in the universe. Rashida exemplifies the academic potential at HBCUs that many overlook.

Rashida's inclusion in the series will extend beyond entertainment, as she represents the plight of the average student. Some can relate to Deborah, who wants to forge her own legacy at Hillman as a legacy student, and to Shaquille's athletic mastery. Rashida's story is even more relatable in her redemption; her progress through the series and her experience at Hillman College will surely be worth coming back for.

A Different World Season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.