This week’s fab freshman is Zippora Johnson, a freshman Biology major from Appomattox, Virginia. After obtaining her undergraduate degree she wants to work in the medical field and do OBGYN research to find new solutions for birth control methods. This small town girl has a lot of personality and is excited about her future! Keep reading to find out why this freshman is so fabulous!
HC: How has your freshman year been so far? Do you have any regrets?
ZJ: My first semester was pretty hard adjusting to everything. My hometown is predominantly white, so coming to an HBCU was definitely different. To be completely honest, I didn’t like it at first. This second semester I’ve started to make the best of everything and things are starting to get better.
HC: Did you initially want to come to an HBCU when doing your college search?
ZJ: Yes! When choosing my future HBCU I wanted to make sure I chose the most prestigious ones, so Hampton, Howard, and Spelman were my top choices. I toured all three, and Hampton came out the number one choice. Everyone was very welcoming, the campus was beautiful, they had a really good science program. Also, I had family down in the Hampton area so that made it a plus as well.
HC: How would describe your personal style?
ZJ: I would say my style is very casual. The Hampton pop out was all new to me, back home I didn’t dress up too much. I do enjoy shopping though, and being in college has made online shopping more convenient. I often shop at Fashion Nova, Zaful, Shein and H&M. I also really like makeup!
HC: How did you get into makeup?
ZJ: I started wearing makeup my junior year of high school. As time grew I started watching more makeup tutorials. I think what really drew me in was the transformations and the different way you could change your appearance in a pleasing way. After coming to Hampton and seeing everyone wear makeup, It started to become the norm for me as well.
HC: You’re halfway through freshman year, what are some of the things you’ve learned while being at Hampton?
ZJ: I would say to just get out there more, you’re not gonna make friends unless you try to get to know more people and put in that effort. Luckily, I’ve made some really great friends and bigs during my time here. Going into sophomore I would join more clubs and organizations, and continue to focus more on my studies. I was able to balance both work and partying, but I would still cut down a little more on going out so much.
HC: How did you come up with your Twitter name, Shortstackss from Va?
ZJ: Well, I’m 4’9 and have always been short, It hasn’t always been the best, but I’ve grown to love my height. Back in middle school I remember being tossed in a trash can by some guys *laughs*. They did it jokingly by the way, and luckily the trash can was empty.
HC: How would you describe your personality?
ZJ: Definitely a people person! I’ve always been like that since I was a little girl, I used to go up to random people and talk to them.
HC: What have you grown to love about Hampton?
ZJ: Coming from a predominantly white area, I would have to say I love the family atmosphere where everyone embraces black culture. Being around mostly black people, everyone’s easier to relate to. At first, I had to get used to people from different regions and realize that everyone wasn’t brought up like I was. For the most part, everyone is really nice and the professors are really helpful and actually want you to succeed.
HC: What has been your motivation to keep going while in school?
ZJ: My main motivation Is that I don’t want to go back to my hometown. It’s a lot of simple minded people, and I don’t really like it there. There is a saying that goes “Once you live in Appomattox, you stay in Appomattox.” A lot of people have gotten so used to saying there and don’t see themselves doing much more. I’ve gained some great mentors over the years, who saw more in me and wanted me to stay on the right track, so I don’t want to let them down.
Want to see more from Zippora? Be sure to follow her on Twitter and Instagram at: @blackhoneyb_