Zaya Wade Details Challenges of Being Away From Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union During College

“My dad told me not to mess it up,” Zaya quipped, “that he is paying tuition, and it is expensive.”

And she’s of course taking her dad’s suggestion seriously, adding, “And I would hope that I am doing that.”

But just like any college student, Zaya is still finding the balance between work and play.

“I’m just trying to focus on doing my classes but also having fun and understanding more about myself as I’m growing into my individuality as an adult,” she explained. “But really just taking the time to understand the difference between school me and friend me and real me and just really enriching all of my individual experiences.”

She added of her famous parents, “I think that’s what they wanted for me is just to be a more encompassed version of myself.”

That’s also a sentiment that has rang true in all areas of Zaya’s life. After the teen came out publicly as transgender in 2020, she shared how Dwyane—also dad to 21-year-old Dahveon Morris—put his pre-conceived notions aside to support her.

"As an African American male, to be so openly and outwardly accepting," she said of Dwyane in a Seventeen interview published last February. "Because honestly, him being raised in a traditional Black household in Chicago…the culture there isn’t very queer-friendly.” 

She added, “I hope that it will continue to inspire people to allow themselves to learn and understand queerness before bashing it."

For a look inside Dwyane and Gabrielle’s best family moments, read on…