Ideate & Explore Grant Recipient – Jolynda Saint Vil ’25 for her venture EmpowerHair

When Jolynda came to Maine from Miami, Florida, she felt the cultural shock of coming from an urban area, where supplies were abundant, to a rural one where hair care for minority groups wasn’t the first thing on everyone’s minds.
As an active member of the Colby Community, she quickly realized that, although there has been a push to increase diversity on campus, there needed to be more emphasis on providing the resources necessary to support diverse groups. A problem, she noted, that has been around for a while. >
The need for a solution was further clarified when she hosted a pop-up salon last year for prom. Students from across campus were able to do each other’s hair for a discounted price. The event gained a lot of positive feedback, with people saying they “felt involved and like they wanted to be at prom.”
“‘Hair,’ she explained, ‘is important. It’s a confidence booster. When it’s not done, you might not feel like going out, which can impact both academics and mental health.’”
After the success of the pop-up salon, Jolynda began thinking about ways to continue the positive impact of the event. There were people on campus who could do hair, but the real issue was the lack of beauty supplies. She noted that “local stores do not always have the products needed, and online solutions can take time to ship, which means you might have to push back your hair appointment.” >
Her solution? Apply for funding to purchase a vending machine for the Pugh Center, stocked with beauty supplies that would support the needs of black, Latino, and other minority groups on campus.
Her idea was awarded funding from the Halloran Lab, and she now plans to lease a vending machine and begin stocking it with various products. To further improve the user experience, she also hopes to create a network so students can know when items are in or out of stock. In the future, she hopes to add to this idea by establishing salons on campus.
The impact of Jolynda’s insight and efforts will make waves far beyond the Colby community; her vision is that every predominantly white institution should have similar vending machines or salons. To ensure her message is understood, she hopes to stay after senior year to pursue projects and raise awareness.>
This is no simple undertaking as creating change can often “seem hard at first,” but Jolynda’s mission is clear. She firmly believes that the key to achieving goals lies in maintaining a strong belief in one’s objectives and working hard. She also emphasizes the importance of striving not only for personal success, but also to “ensure others don’t encounter similar challenges.” Not only are “you the only person who wants that goal more than anyone,” but others depend on you as well. Here’s to a brighter future! We can’t wait to hear more about EmpowerHair! Interview by Victoria Melehov ’25
Updates on Jolynda since she received the Ideate & Explore Grant:
-Jolynda decided to pivot from a vending machine on campus to a website based shop.
-Her EmpowerHair website launch is on September 4th, 2024. Follow her venture on Instagram.