Meet Zendaya, the 19-year-old Disney star who will play Mary Jane in next year's 'Spider-Man'

She was introduced to theater and acting as a young child because her mother was the house manager at the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda.

Source: Diablo Magazine

She quickly got into dancing and was in a hip-hop troupe when she was only 8 years old.

Source: W Magazine

The teen started her career as a young model for brands like Macy's and Old Navy and was soon showing off her dance skills in commercials and a 2009 Kidz Bop music video.

Zendaya danced her way into one of the lead roles in Disney Channel's "Shake It Up!" when she was 14.

As a rising Disney star, Zendaya appeared in other Disney shows including "Good Luck Charlie" and "A.N.T. Farm," and she scored lead roles in the Disney TV movies "Frenemies" and "Zapped."

She wasn't even 16 when she signed with Hollywood Records — the previous label of artists such as Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers — in 2012.

Her debut self-titled album was released in 2013, and peaked at 51 on the Billboard 200. Watch her music video for "Replay" here.

That same year as her album debut, she competed on "Dancing With the Stars" and placed second.

She hasn't stopped making music and is featured on the 2015 "Finding Neverland" soundtrack. In February 2016, she dropped a new single featuring Chris Brown.

You can listen to Zendaya on "Neverland" here.

Oh, and she even found time to write a book titled "Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style and Confidence."

Source: Amazon

She currently stars in and serves as a producer on "KC Undercover," another Disney show.

"The only way I was going to come back to the Disney Channel was if I was in a position of more power," she said about the show to Cosmopolitan. "One thing that is really important to me is diversity on the channel ... Representation is very important."

Zendaya was thrust into the limelight for her response to comments E!'s Giuliana Rancic made about her hair during the 2015 Oscars.

Rancic said her dreadlocks must have smelt of "patchouli" and "weed." The teen responded with a lengthy Instagram post that was widely applauded.

"My wearing my hair in locs on an Oscar red carpet was to showcase them in a positive light, to remind people of color that our hair is good enough. To me, locs are a symbol of strength and beauty," she wrote on Instagram.

Mattel created a Barbie in her image to honor the young star for being a role model.

Source: Today

The teen strives to be an advocate for people. "I want to be a spokesperson for self-love and for diversity," she told Elle.

Source: Elle

She also considers herself an activist and uses her social media to support charities and movements.

"There are a lot wonderful things and opportunities to put light on issues that are important to me, like the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement," she told Elle. "I can use [social media] and do a lot of good and a lot of great, great things."

She doesn't shy away from calling herself a feminist: "I think feminism — I’ve said this before — is believing in the power of a woman as much as you believe in the power of anybody else," she said.

Source: Elle

She's also been known to stand up for anyone being bullied online, including herself.

@Manstagram_ that awkward moment when this tweet is irrelevant cause she's slaying both ways #wannaborrowmyglasses pic.twitter.com/4BXge1Ch4K
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) June 10, 2015

She's shut down rape jokes, trolls who called her parents ugly, and some guy who mocked a makeup artist.

She's also called out a magazine for retouching her body and contributing to "unrealistic ideals of beauty."

"Had a new shoot come out today and was shocked when I found my 19 year old hips and torso quite manipulated. These are the things that make women self conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have," she wrote on Instagram. Anyone who knows who I am knows I stand for honest and pure self love. So I took it upon myself to release the real pic (right side) and I love it. Thank you @modelistemagazine for pulling down the images and fixing this retouch issue."

And she's incredibly proud of her heritage — her father is African-American, and her mother is German and Scottish.

"My mother's proud of where she's from, and her history, and her past, and same with my dad," she told US Weekly. "I have roots in Africa. Like, I am from Africa as well as from Germany, and I am very proud of that."

Some people may recognize Zendaya from her appearance in Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" music video.

Or from Beyoncé's visual album, "Lemonade." That's her in the bottom right corner.

Zendaya is a huge Beyoncé fan and freaked out after being asked to appear in Beyoncé's "Lemonade."

"It was beautiful because it hit on so many points, not just about feminism or empowerment but it talked about heartbreak and healing all at the same time," she said of the experience. "It touched on cultural and societal issues. ... It was so empowering as a black woman to watch it and be a part of it."

Zendaya was cast in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" as a character named Michelle, but according to most recent reports, she's going to play Peter Parker's love interest, Mary Jane.

Source: INSIDER

Early in 2016, she was also revealed as the new face of CoverGirl.

As if all of that work wasn't enough, the 19-year-old is now a shoe designer. Daya by Zendaya is sold at Nordstrom.

She'll next appear in the musical biopic "The Greatest Showman on Earth," alongside Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman, and is voicing a character in "Duck Duck Goose."

We can't wait to see what this star does next.