Famous Friday: Nandi Hildebrand

Happy Friday everybody. For this week’s Famous Friday, we are excited to share about teen actress, Nandi Hildebrand. We at Project RACE are proud to be partnering with Count the Nation, an initiative of USC Annenberg aiming to ensure that everyone across America knows how much census participation benefits their community. It is through this exciting and important partnership that we came to know Nandi who stars in Count the Nation’s awesome new census video (https://youtu.be/HYYG1w65U64). Nandi, whose father is Caucasian while her mother is African (Zulu), is a developing teen actress who has also used her influence to become a social activist.

Even at the young age of 15, Nandi has many special skills including acting, dance, athletics, and martial arts. Her acting experience has led to major roles in both television and theatre. One notable role was in the fourth season of NBC’s hit television show Fresh Off the Boat. Another hobby she has is reading, enjoying both fictional and nonfictional genres. Nandi credits her love of reading as well as traveling for her vast knowledge of cultures and philosophies.

Born in Maryland, Nandi has traveled all over the world, including growing up for a number of years in South Africa with her grandparents. When she was seven Nandi moved back to the United States. In Southern California, she became a victim of bullying due to her, “accent, [and] puffy hair,” and, “lack of knowledge about the popular culture”. But Nandi was determined to turn that difficulty into good. Recently, Nandi has utilized her platform to create Nandi’s Anti-Bullying Youth Club, a charity whose goal is to ensure that all children feel accepted in their environment. Members of the club are encouraged to gather and discuss their experiences with bullies. Nandi believes that she must spread awareness about this serious issue affecting so many young people. She shares that her long-term goal is for people to attempt to understand the backgrounds of their peers, rather than judging others because of pre-formalized prejudices.

After spending a short time in California, Nandi’s adventures continued as she toured Asia with her parents, mainly staying in Vietnam. These diverse opportunities, coupled with her own multiracial identity, have allowed her the opportunity to embrace a unique cultural perspective.

For more information on Count the Nation, please visit countthenation.org.

Matheson Bossick, Project RACE Teens Vice President

 

Sources:

  1. https://strongselfie.com/pages/beyondthebox
  2. http://www.nandihildebrand.com/
  3. http://www.nandihildebrand.com/acting/
  4. http://www.nandihildebrand.com/philanthropist/
  5. http://www.nandihildebrand.com/multi-talent/

Image From:

  1. http://www.nandihildebrand.com/