Activist, actress, social media star, and 2023 Her Conference Keynote speaker Amelie Zilber is booked and busy. When she isn’t filming for the hit show Grown-ish, meeting with congressmen, and working with UNICEF, Zilber is just like any other 21-year-old college student: she’s just trying to figure it all out, and is taking her time doing so.
As a student at Georgetown University, Zilber has been open about her non-traditional experience in pursuing higher education. Studying Near & Middle Eastern Studies, Zilber has plans to pursue a career in political advocacy. The catch? She knows that life is long, and she’s not in any rush to get started.
After her first year was online at Georgetown, Zilber was heartbroken at the loss of her college experience, and experienced crippling stress while studying and pursuing her acting and creative careers. Now, in 2023, she is taking a gap year, so she can continue to film Grown-ish as she pursues her degree.
During her keynote speech at Her Conference, Zilber touched on her desire to get her degree, but an understanding that her path will always be different. Growing up, the student came from a family who were always engaged in current events, which led to her activism, and her current identity.
Zilber said she was always theatrical as a kid, but was encouraged by her family to focus on getting a “real job.” The ABC Family show Grown-ish came into her life after she was feeling lost and decided to take a six-month acting intensive, which was 10 to 15 hours a week of training. The show was her first audition, and Zilber landed the role of Lauren, a devout Christian student at the fictional California University.
“I did not grow up religious at all, so it really gave me an opportunity to educate myself in a new avenue,” Zilber said. “I really did not think that working with a TV show would give me such an interesting group to learn — I have really been able to figure out how she sees the world through her religion.”
So what’s next for Zilber? With the second season of Grown-ish halted due to the ongoing writer’s strike, Zilber is focusing her energy on other opportunities, and herself. “I would love to get to the point in my career where I can pick projects that solely have social commentary,” Zilber said. “I really want to be involved in projects where my activism and acting can coincide and really live together and grow together.”
Additionally, Zilber shared that she has plans to move to New York City in 2023. “Last year was the best year of my life, I made the best friends in the world,” she said. “I love them so much I just want to be around them.”
Zilber is focusing on allowing herself to find a kind of peace that regrets the capitalistic culture of society to allow herself to be better grounded. While she absolutely loves her skincare routine, she’d rather read to ground herself. She focuses on sitting with herself to be confident and grounded. “Find passions of yours that aren’t what you are seeing online,” she said.