Kennedi Reece was still walking Howard University’s yard when she landed the role that would put her on a different one. Months before graduating with the class of 2026, the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts student was cast as Hazel Henry, the bright, bubbly, unapologetically herself freshman in Netflix’s A Different World. It’s the long-awaited sequel to the beloved NBC series that made Hillman College a cultural landmark.
The original A Different World ran from 1987 to 1993. It began as a spin-off of The Cosby Show and grew into something far bigger: a portrait of Black college life that tackled race, class, love, and identity, and inspired a generation to see HBCUs as a place for them. Much of that vision came from Howard alumna Debbie Allen, who produced and directed the bulk of the series.
More than three decades later, Hillman is back in session. The Netflix sequel, led by showrunner Felicia Pride with Allen returning as executive producer and director, follows Deborah Wayne, the youngest daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert, as she builds her own legacy on the campus where her parents fell in love. The series premiered September 24, broke into Netflix’s global Top 10, and earned a Season 2 renewal just days later.
For Reece, the role is personal. She brings her own Howard experience to Hazel, from dorm-room sisterhood in the Quad to the traditions of royal court, and she credits the university with teaching her the discipline and confidence to step onto her very first professional set. Now a recent graduate, she sits down with Blex Media writer Rasiah Worthy to talk about her Howard roots, learning from Debbie Allen, the bond she shares with her castmates, and what’s ahead for Hazel in Season 2.