Scholar finds success as business owner

By Aseret Bertram Grant, journalism junior and business minor

Lawrence, Kansas, has always been home for Breanna Bell. She chose to stay here and go to the University of Kansas and is now a junior studying management and leadership and entrepreneurship.

Breanna isn’t waiting to graduate to start her career. Last year, she opened Prestige Hair Studio, which she co-owns and operates with her brother, Isaiah.

Ever since she was young, Breanna loved going to salons. Lawrence didn’t have many options for black hair, so Breanna’s mom was always skeptical about taking her to one and ruining her hair. At the age of 12, she decided to start learning on her own. By looking up YouTube videos and photos on Google, Breanna started to emulate the stylists and people quickly acknowledged her new talent. Her school principal asked Breanna to do her hair for an event and suggested she consider a career as a stylist.

Breanna started making YouTube videos of her own, and companies began to send her products to advertise in these videos. Breanna always knew college was the route she wanted to take, but during her senior year of high school, she started wondering about cosmetology school. After meeting with KU recruiters, she learned more about how a college degree and business background could help with a career in cosmetology. After being told by high school teachers that college wasn’t for her, Breanna decided to prove them wrong and go for it.

She attended the University of Kansas her freshman and sophomore year and left for a year to earn her cosmetology school degree at Paul Mitchell while taking classes at Johnson County Community College. Breanna is now back for her junior year at KU to finish her degree. Aside from being a full-time student once again, she also works as a stylist at Prestige as four nights a week.

When she graduates, Breanna hopes to help people understand the importance of healthy hair and the products they use. She also wants to spread her knowledge to other places. Breanna experienced how hard it was to find a stylist close by who understood her hair, so she is looking for opportunities to teach others about black hair.

Her path might not look like most college students’, but Breanna wouldn’t change a thing — she’s now living her dream.