In June 2014, Zola was hired by North Seattle College as a tenure-track reference librarian. She works as a liaison to the Art, Humanities, International Programs, ESL and Basic & Transitional Studies divisions.

Earlier in 2014, Zola joined a fascinating group of presenters discussing Afrofuturism at the Northwest African American Museum and curated film programs about the Black presence in science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction at both the Experience Music Project and the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival. Zola has also worked as a curator at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute since 2003, and has researched and published HistoryLink.org essays about Seattle's Washington Hall, the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, and artist Norie Sato.