Shifting the Culture

by Valerie Figueroa

NaJaiyah Virgil is a student entrepreneur building a business around a clear and deeply personal vision: giving Black women a lavish, intentional hair care experience in an industry she believes has gone too long without a true standard.

Earlier this spring, Virgil, a senior management student at Texas State University’s McCoy College of Business, stood in front of a crowd at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for her luxury hair braiding salon now operating out of a suite in Austin, Texas,  surrounded by homemade cinnamon rolls — her favorite dessert — vibrant flowers, and people who believe in her and her mission to shift the braiding culture to a more opulent and empowering experience for Black women.  

“It's hard to stop and smell the roses when you're always trying to grow," she says. “It really just made me kind of slow down and appreciate how far I've come. By the end of it, I was feeling like, now the real work begins.”

From Louisiana to Texas  
Virgil was born in Louisiana in 2005, the same year Hurricane Katrina struck. Her mother — the first in the family to leave their small-town community — packed up and moved her family to Houston, a decision Virgil says changed the trajectory of her life.  

She graduated summa cum laude from high school with an associate’s degree and a pharmacy technician license. She quickly discovered that medicine wasn’t for her. Neither was tech, despite a consulting internship with Oracle during her first year at Texas State that made her realize it was time to pivot. Through the various changes of course in her academic journey, the one constant was hair. She had been braiding since she was 17, turning her mother’s garage into a makeshift suite. She was building a clientele before she ever even set foot on a college campus.  

Shifting the Culture One Client at a Time  
Virgil arrived eager to make the most of the two years she would spend at Texas State. Her first stop was McCoy College’s Student Success Center, where she met Dr. Terrance McClain, the center’s director. She explored organizations and opportunities based on McClain’s recommendations, including the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), which hosted a speaker session where she met Quinn Valentine, the director of the university’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). Valentine would eventually become her mentor and the organizer of her brick-and-mortar launch party. Virgil’s drive to make the most of her time at McCoy College became a turning point, ultimately setting her on the path to entrepreneurship. 

During those early days at the university, Virgil was actively seeking new clients. She printed out flyers and posted them everywhere. She was initially seeing clients wherever she could find the space.  

“It was crazy," she says, smiling. “But we got it done. It just shows how much the industry is in shambles.”  

Her hair care business, which she named Hair Supremacist, was created to close a gap that Virgil had experienced throughout her life. In traditional salons, Black hair is treated as a specialty rather than a standard. 

“They’re only taught how to manipulate your coils,” she says. “It’s never braiding or something to protect and preserve its long-term health.”

High-quality hair braiding combines clean parting, even tension, and precise technique to create a polished, long-lasting style that prioritizes both appearance and hair health. 

The braiding salons that do exist present a different challenge. She explains the typical setup of numerous chairs, two or three braiders per chair, and a salon that can turn chaotic within minutes.  

“I have to sit there for six hours, listen to all the chaos, and it just becomes a very stressful environment,” she says.  

Then there’s the home-based braider market: flexible and accessible but generally lacking price transparency, professional standards, and a setting designed for the client’s comfort.  

Hair Supremacist is her solution for addressing all three issues. The suite in Austin is designed to provide a luxurious spa-like experience for black women, featuring specialty beverages, intentional decor, and an ambient atmosphere she describes as “rainforest chic.” Pricing is transparent from the first click, and the booking process lives on a website she built herself.  

"My ultimate goal is to have each braider in their own suite, offering the same experience, which prioritizes personal connection, intentional service, and making sure our clients feel heard and empowered because this should be a pampering experience," she says. 

Pitching Under Pressure
In September of last year, Virgil entered a campus pitch competition hosted by the CIE, where one judge, Randy Haran — board member and mentorship chair at Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) — was impressed enough to offer mentorship. Through that connection, she was invited to compete in EO’s 2026 Global Student Entrepreneur Award (GSEA) Competition in Dallas, and, with just one week to prepare and with the help of her mentor, Valentine, she took first place and won a $6,000 grand prize. 

“I was shocked, but I was grateful that my vision was validated,” she says, recalling that her first call was to her mother, her biggest supporter.  

Back in San Marcos, a few weeks after the competition, the CIE awarded Virgil $10,000 through its inaugural Student Founders Launch Fund, which supports early-stage student ventures with funding, mentorship, and alumni guidance to scale high-potential businesses. Combined with the $6,000 she received from the EO Dallas competition, the funding went directly into her suite and marketing. 

Entrepreneurship, however, is not without its challenges, Virgil says. 

“When you dream big, and you're passionate about something, all of your friends are not gonna come with you,” she says. “I had to learn that early on, but it's important to know that not everybody's supposed to come along.” 

Virgil graduates in August 2026, but her plan doesn't pause at commencement. 

The immediate goal is to bring another braider into her salon, train her thoroughly in the brand's values and culture, and eventually have her assume responsibility for the Austin location while Virgil opens a second location. 

"This is the store where I will perfect my business model, and from this I'll open more locations and ultimately package this experience and franchise it to the masses so that this is an experience that we can have nationally,” she says. 

Despite her hectic schedule as an entrepreneur and student, Virgil says she’s grateful for the lessons and opportunities afforded to her through her collegiate experience.

At McCoy College, NaJaiyah’s development went beyond the classroom, where support from faculty and the connections she built equipped her with the tools that led her to entrepreneurship.

“I kept winning,” she says. “I kept getting funding while telling my idea to people who will never be able to sit in my chair and understand these experiences, but they're still invested in it. So this must be something.” 

It is something, and NaJaiyah Virgil is just getting started. ✯