Personality: Creative, spontaneous, charming, and still figuring herself out. Deborah is the daughter of Whitley and Dwayne. She loves art, music, and theater, and she doesn't want to commit to just one career path yet. After getting rejected by her dream school, Tisch, she begins her college journey at Hillman. Her parents want to protect her, but Deborah needs room to make her own mistakes. Her biggest struggle is learning how to be independent while living up to her famous parents' legacy. Love life: She has a complicated, flirtatious connection with Shaquille, a family friend. Their relationship creates a will-they-won't-they storyline.

Personality: Ambitious, disciplined, responsible, and outspoken. Rashida is a first-generation college student from Compton, California, majoring in criminal justice. She takes school seriously because she wants to build a better future for herself and her community. She doesn't have much patience for people who treat college like a party. That's why she initially clashes with Deborah, her free-spirited roommate. Rashida's story explores the pressure of being the first in your family to attend college and feeling responsible for making everyone proud. Family: Her mother, Darlene, supports her from back home. Rashida's determination sometimes makes it difficult for her to relax and enjoy being young.

Personality: Confident, competitive, charming, sensitive underneath his bravado. Shaquille is a superstar quarterback who surprises people by choosing an HBCU instead of following the conventional path expected of an athlete of his caliber. His decision honors a promise he made to his late mother. His father, Ron, manages his career and wants him to succeed on a massive scale. However, Shaquille has to learn how to make decisions for himself instead of allowing expectations to control his life. Love life: His chemistry with Deborah is one of the central romantic storylines. He has feelings and vulnerability beneath his confidence, but his ego can get in the way. Main conflict: Balancing football, grief, family expectations, romance, and his desire to make his own legacy.

Personality: Street-smart, funny, resourceful, honest, and emotionally perceptive. Amir is a psychology major from Harlem. When he arrives at Hillman, he discovers that a housing shortage has left him without a dorm room, forcing him to stay on a communal couch in Garvey Hall. He has a complicated past that includes time in juvenile detention. Rather than letting that history define him, he is trying to create a different future. Amir is good at understanding other people's problems and giving advice, but he doesn't always apply that same wisdom to himself. Friendships: He becomes close with Shaquille and Kojo. Their friendship gives him a support system while he tries to navigate college and his personal struggles.

Personality: Faith-oriented, practical, idealistic, and sometimes naive. Hazel is a small-town girl who has dreamed about attending Hillman for most of her life. She wants to make her parents proud, follow her religious beliefs, and eventually find a husband who shares her faith. However, college exposes her to people and perspectives that challenge what she has always believed. Through classes, discussions, and friendships, she starts learning the difference between beliefs inherited from her upbringing and values she personally chooses. Love life: Jalen, Hillman's star basketball player, catches her attention. Main conflict: Finding her identity without automatically abandoning her faith or blindly following the expectations placed on her.

Personality: Entrepreneurial, stylish, creative, charming, and searching for independence. Kojo is a Ghanaian-Nigerian student studying fashion merchandising. His parents expect him to pursue a more conventional future, but his true passion is clothing design. He has already started several businesses, so he isn't lacking ambition. The problem is that his ambition points in a direction his parents don't necessarily approve of. Kojo spends time developing his fashion-show opportunity, building friendships in Garvey Hall, and navigating romance. Main conflict: Choosing between satisfying his parents and building a career that genuinely makes him happy.

Ellington is a confident, intelligent junior who works as Professor Freddie Brooks's student assistant. He eventually becomes Deborah's tutor. His role introduces an academic connection for Deborah, with the potential for attraction and complications as they get to know each other.

Candace is a sophomore and resident adviser at Gilbert Hall. She is organized, ambitious, assertive, and strict about dorm rules. She acts as a mentor to incoming students, but her controlling management style can make her intimidating. She’s a baddie who runs the girl dorms and looks very sexy but she can be petty towards Deborah Wayne