Jamilah

For half of the movie her parents motivated her to go to law school because they both went to Harvard and she thought they would endorse her. However she soon finds out that she won't be getting endorsed. At the end of the movie we find out her mom was jealous of her success, but at that point she has lost her passion for Harvard and decides to do something else.

Stepping is her way of releasing stress and her stepping sisters motivate her to keep pushing and persuing her goals.

Beth, one of her closest friends ends up motivating Jamilah by telling her the same thing Jamilah told Beth at the party, when Beth wanted to deactivate her sorority. Jamilah stated: "weak people quit" Beth said this to Jamilah when she was leaving and going back home and giving up all she worked for. Beth telling Jamilah that weak people quit motivated her to go back and this caused SBB to come second place in the competition.

Jamilah's main motivation throughout the movie is attending Harvard University for law and becoming a lawyer. Her passion and motivation to go to Harvard is what sets off this whole movie.

A sub motivation that falls under the category of her wanting to go to law school is helping the Sigma Beta Beta learn how to step so Dean Bearman wouldn't take their charter away ie: kick them out of university. Since her parents wouldn't endorse her, she had to get an endorsement from someone else so her and Dean made a deal.

She has a lot of pride, this is demonstrated a numerous amount of times in the movie. When she doesn't apologize and constantly tries to prove her point even when in the wrong, this has ties to her huge ego. Usually when people start to feel very successful they forget to humble themselves and to always remember someone is better then them and to respect others. Jamilah forgets this and it is clearly shown. Jamilah felt unstoppable because she has a good job, a lot of friends, is a good stepper and is on track for Harvard, along side her boyfriend. Her life slowly starts to crumble and by the end of the movie she is far more humbled and less egotistical.

An example of Jamilah having too much pride and not being able to apologize is when Dean Bearman fired her because he saw the pictures of her partying. She blamed SBB for ruining her life. She had to much pride to take ownership of her own actions. Even after all the white girls tell her how they feel she still doesn't do the right thing and apologize.

Another example is when Saundra confronts Jamilah and calls her an "asshole" and told her how Theta rejected her because she was too "whitewashed" Jamilah still refuses to apologize and walks out instead.

When Dean Bearman finds out she was partying and there were photos of her drunk, he is forced to fire her. However instead of Jamilah apologizing because she is clearly in the wrong she tries to justify what she did because she "wasn't in the twerk pyramid" and because she was mad at her parents.