Rose-Hulman alumna Nola Wilson and three current students– Uche Osuji, Narindwa Semakula, and Jada Hunter-Hays– are weaving entrepreneurship and empowerment for Black women through their new app, Hair Hub. Designed to be a budget-friendly alternative to professional styling, Hair Hub consolidates all of the resources needed to learn how to style hair into one platform. 

Launched in September 2024, Hair Hub helps Black women manage and take pride in the texture of their hair and has already achieved over 10,000 downloads. The app differs from its competitors, including Pinterest, because of the one-stop-shop access it provides to style inspiration, tutorials, hair care products, and scientifically- backed research.

"The texture of African American hair types can be difficult to manage," said Wilson, a 2023 biomedical engineering graduate. "That can be discouraging for a lot of people, but that motivated me to start putting out my own DIY hair content. I was thinking about ways I can use my engineering background to create something related to Black hair care." 

She finally pinned the solution in December 2022, in her college apartment.  With no prior experience with either, Wilson combed through hair tutorials and coding tutorials until she had taught herself both. She launched a web precursor to Hair Hub that randomly generated hair style inspiration for users.

"Rose produces problem solvers," Wilson said, noting that her senior capstone was influential in teaching her the design process. "Without that experience, I don't think I would have been able to create Hair Hub or even think of the idea."

After graduation, Wilson expanded and developed Hair Hub while she pursued a master's degree in bioengineering with a global medical innovation concentration at Rice University, including winning a student pitch competition and two days of free software development as its prize. She has since participated in multiple business accelerators and other pitch competitions, including one in Canada, self-funding her start-up to impact the world.

"Everybody gets a sense of empowerment when they do something themselves, and it's no different with hair," Wilson said. "[Hair Hub] is helpful not only for people who have less disposable income like students, but also for parents ofor adoptive children who may not have as much experience with Black hair."

Unbeknownst to Wilson, her initial social media posts appeared on the feeds of Rose-Hulman students Osuji and Semakula. Osuji, a sophomore computer engineering major from Rainbow City, Alabama, connected with Wilson through the Rose-Hulman chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and later encouraged Hunter-Hays and Semakula to reach out to Wilson as well. Osuji now helps develop Hair Hub's software, as well as social media content.

"It's a lot bigger than a hair app," Osuji said. "Growing up, there was a sense of hatred toward my hair. I never used the terms 'beautiful' or 'pretty' pointed toward myself."

Semakula, a junior Noblitt Scholar majoring in biomedical engineering who serves as Hair Hub's marketing manager, experienced the same connection between her hair and her perception of self. 

"I was really shy growing up," Semakula said. "As I got to college and after I started learning how to do my hair, I got more confident because you feel a lot more put together when your hair is done."

Together, the Hair Hub team, including four women from other colleges, are working fervently to diffuse that confidence to other women.

"Having access to an app that can get you a semi-professional or professional hairstyle for your interview or make sure you look your Sunday best for a Career Fair so that you can land the job you need is very important," said Hunter-Hays. "Hair can be important for your mental health."

Hunter-Hays, a computer engineering major who will graduate in February 2026, works on Hair Hub's product development and graphic design elements.

Osuji and Semakula won a pitch competition at the NSBE regional conference, earning them the opportunity to pitch Hair Hub at the NSBE national conference in March. The champion of the national competition will win funding toward their venture. 

"In my mind, I need to represent and not necessarily be loud as in yelling, but loud in my excitement, loud in my demeanor," Osuji said. She described this as a "positive loud," a trait that comes easily to the Rose-Hulman cheerleader.

The experiences with Hair Hub are helping each of the Rose-Hulman students achieve their dreams - and look fabulous while doing so. Osuji appreciates the opportunity to untangle a societal problem and make an impact, which she hopes to do in her career. Semakula aims to start a nonprofit to bring medical resources and equipment to underserved communities in Africa and has appreciated the opportunity to communicate the mission of a growing organization. Hunter-Hays, an aspiring patent agent, is gaining experience in product development, supporting her dreams of invention and innovation. 

"It's really nice having a different perspective from someone [Wilson] who is passing down that knowledge to us so that we can help bring her dream to life," said Hunter-Hays.

Wilson's dream is for women to see their hair as an element of their personality, instead of an obstacle to brush aside. All four women are acutely aware of the impact that Hair Hub would have had on them when they were younger, and they hope that the community and empowerment it provides will be life-changing.

"It's an inspiration for younger girls," Semakula said. "You as a Black woman can have beautiful hair, can style your hair, and still have an impact in the STEM field. You can be yourself, entirely…They are enough, as them, and they don't have to act like other people."