All About Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Oldest Daughter

Zahara Jolie-Pitt has two iconic parents — Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt — but she’s making her own way in the world.

Angelina adopted Zahara (18) in 2005 from Ethiopia while she was visiting with her eldest son Maddox. Brad accompanied her on her second trip to the country to make the adoption official and adopted Zahara and Maddox himself the following year.

Angelina spoke openly about raising her daughter to be proud of her African roots and praised her as an “extraordinary African woman” during TIME 100 conversations in 2020.

“My daughter is from Ethiopia, one of my children … And I learned so much from her,” Eternals said the actress. “She’s my family, but she’s an extraordinary African woman and her connection to her country, her continent, is her own and that’s something I just stand in awe of.”

Six children of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: Everything you need to know

In August 2022, Zahara began her education at Spelman College, an HBCU; the following year she joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, which is the first black sorority in history.

From her childhood to her current passions, here’s everything you need to know about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter, Zahara Jolie-Pitt.

She was adopted from Ethiopia when she was 7 months old

Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Maddox Jolie-Pitt at the Japanese premiere of ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ on October 3, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.

Jun Sato/WireImage

Zahara was born on January 8, 2005 in Hawassa, Ethiopia, and was adopted seven months later when Angelina was on a trip with her then-young son Maddox. Angelina previously spoke about how Maddox was “in love” with Africa, and was “looking for an African brother or sister”.

When they visited the orphanage and Maddox met Zahara, he “saw that she needed care” and Angelina started the adoption process.

“Maddox and I are very happy to have a new addition to our family,” she told PEOPLE at the time of the adoption.

Angelina started dating Brad in 2005, and Express train the actor even accompanied her on a trip to Ethiopia when she began the process of adopting Zahara. Less than a year after Zahara officially joined Angelina’s family, Brad formally moved to legally adopt her and Maddox.

In January 2006, a Los Angeles judge granted the couple’s name change petition, which required Maddox and Zahara’s surnames to be legally changed to Jolie-Pitt.

“It’s the idea that you love each other and want to start a family together,” a friend of the couple told PEOPLE at the time. “The nice thing is you can do it by birth (or) adoption.”

She traveled back to Ethiopia since she was adopted

Zahara Jolie-Pitt at the UK premiere of ‘The Eternals’ at BFI IMAX Waterloo on October 27, 2021 in London, England.

Dave J Hogan/Getty

Angelina has always encouraged Zahara to embrace her roots and even brought some of her other children – Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne – along with them on their trip to Ethiopia in 2019.

As a treat for Zahara, Angelina took her and Vivienne to a meeting with Sahle-Work Zewde, the first female president of Ethiopia. They discussed education, sanitary napkin solutions to help girls continue their education, and Ethiopian culture and history.

Angelina also spoke about her ongoing efforts to find a cure for drug-resistant tuberculosis through her Zahara program, named after her daughter.

She designed her own jewelry line

Knox Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt and Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt at the world premiere of Disney’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” on September 30, 2019 in Los Angeles , California.

Kevin Winter/Getty

When she was just 14 years old, Zahara teamed up with jeweler Roberto Procop to create the Zahara Collection jewelry line. She debuted some pieces at the premiere of Angelina’s movie in LA Maleficent: Mistress of Evilshowing off the triple layered earrings, bracelet and matching ring.

The collection was available at Saks Fifth Avenue and featured white and rose quartz gems and pink sapphire pieces. Proceeds went to Ruth Shelters in Los Angeles, which provides a transitional home for women and children in need.

She faced “medical challenges” as a young teenager

Angelina Jolie and Zahara Jolie-Pitt at the premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” in Los Angeles on October 18, 2021.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

In a March 2020 personal essay for TIMEAngelina wrote about how two of her daughters had “medical challenges” at the time.

“I’ve spent the last two months in and out of surgery with my oldest daughter, and a few days ago I watched her little sister go under the knife for hip surgery,” Angelina wrote.

“They know that I am writing this because I respect their privacy and we talked about it together and they encouraged me to write,” she added. “They understand that going through medical challenges and fighting to survive and heal is something they can be proud of.”

Although Angelina did not specify what type of surgery Zahara had, a source told PEOPLE that Zahara recovered in the comfort of her own home. A source said in the weeks following the surgery that all six of Angelina and Brad’s children were quarantined at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She is a student at Spelman College

Zahara Jolie Pitt and her friends at Spelman College.

Angelina Jolie’s Instagram

Angelina announced that Zahara will be attending Spelman College in July 2022 when she posted a picture of her daughter alongside other incoming freshmen.

“Zahara with her Spelman sisters!” Angelina wrote in the description. “Congratulations to all new students starting this year. A very special place and honor to have a family member as a new Spelman girl.”

Days after Angelina made the announcement, Brad told PEOPLE at the film’s premiere Express train Zahara attending Spelman is a “wonderful” thing.

“Yes, that’s beautiful,” he said, becoming emotional. “Really nice.”

When Angelina drove her daughter to school in August, she and Zahara met with Vice President for Student Affairs and President Helene Gayle.

In a video posted on Instagram, Gayle asked Angelina how she felt about being Spelman’s mom, what Salt the actress replied: “I’m going to cry! I haven’t started crying yet.” She added that she was also “so excited” for her daughter.

In November 2023, Zahara joined the Mu Pi chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. In a video posted on Essence’On Instagram, the sophomore was photographed among her new sisters dancing and introducing herself to the crowd.

“My name is Zahara Marley Jolie,” she said. “AND [I] landed all the way from the Golden State to a city full of angels: Los Angeles, California.”

She passionately works with her mother on humanitarian efforts

Angelina Jolie, Zahara Jolie Pitt, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.

Angelina Jolie’s Instagram

Zahara seems to have inherited her mother’s passion for philanthropy and humanitarian causes. In December 2022, she accompanied her mom on a two-day visit to Washington DC, where they met with lawmakers to advocate for the protection of crime victims.

The mother-daughter duo spoke with members of Congress and the White House about the Justice for All Reauthorization Act of 2022, which would give crime victims access to their reports and evidence of their abuse.

However, this was not the first time that Zahara joined her mother in the capital. Last year, Zahara and Angelina spoke to advocates and politicians to support the Violence Against Women Act.

“Honored to visit Washington, DC, with Zahara, working with advocates and legislators to modernize and strengthen the #ViolenceAgainstWomenAct to include protections for the health and safety of children, communities of color, tribes, LGBTQ survivors, rural areas, and all survivors,” Angelina wrote in the caption of a post showing photos from the couple’s trip to DC

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Source: HIS Education