by Zenda Walker | Jul 24, 2026 | Uncategorized
We’ve Been Defining STEM Too Narrowly
What Cosmetology Can Teach Us About the Future of Career and Technical Education
By Zenda M. Walker
Every generation of educators is asked to prepare students for a future we cannot fully predict.
Today, that future is being shaped by artificial intelligence, technological innovation, demographic shifts, and a rapidly evolving workforce. In response, schools across the country are expanding STEM education and investing in Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways that prepare students for high-demand careers.
This renewed focus is encouraging. It recognizes that students deserve multiple pathways to success and that technical expertise should be valued alongside traditional academic achievement.
Yet as I’ve watched these conversations unfold, I’ve noticed something that has stayed with me.
One licensed profession is almost always missing from the conversation.
Cosmetology.
Not because it lacks technical rigor.
But because we rarely think of it that way.
For more than two decades, I’ve worked as a licensed cosmetologist. Today, I also work alongside educators, school leaders, and families while pursuing graduate studies in education. Moving between these worlds has given me a unique vantage point. It has led me to ask a question that extends far beyond the beauty industry:
How do we decide what counts as rigorous learning?
When most people picture STEM, they imagine laboratories, robotics competitions, engineering firms, computer programming, or advanced manufacturing. Those images are familiar—and important.
But images also shape assumptions.
They influence funding decisions, career advising, public perception, and even the careers students believe are available to them.
What if we’ve confused our image of STEM with its actual definition?
Every licensed cosmetologist studies chemistry, anatomy, infection control, sanitation, state safety regulations, and applied mathematics. They analyze variables, solve problems in real time, communicate with diverse clients, manage inventory, build businesses, interpret digital analytics, and increasingly use technology to market and operate successful enterprises.
Those aren’t “soft skills.”
They are technical, scientific, entrepreneurial, and deeply human competencies.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects approximately 84,000 openings for barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists each year over the coming decade, reflecting both continued demand and workforce turnover. At the same time, education leaders continue to elevate Career and Technical Education as an essential strategy for workforce development and economic mobility.
These trends raise an important question.
If cosmetology requires technical knowledge, scientific understanding, business acumen, and professional licensure—and continues to represent a significant workforce sector—why is it so often absent from conversations about the future of work?
I don’t believe the answer is found in the profession itself.
I believe it’s found in our perception of it.
Throughout history, society has assigned different levels of prestige to different forms of knowledge. Some professions are immediately recognized as technical. Others, despite requiring equally sophisticated expertise, are viewed primarily through cultural stereotypes.
That perception matters.
Because when students don’t see certain careers respected within educational spaces, they may never recognize the full range of opportunities available to them.
This realization has become one of the foundational ideas behind what I call The Hairitage Framework™.
The Hairitage Framework begins with a simple premise:
Learning becomes more meaningful when educators use culturally rooted practices, traditions, and lived experiences as entry points to rigorous academic learning, identity development, belonging, and career-connected exploration.
Hair is not the lesson.
Hair is the bridge.
For one student, that bridge might be hair chemistry.
For another, it might be family recipes, quilting traditions, spoken word poetry, sneaker design, music production, or neighborhood entrepreneurship.
The bridge changes.
The destination does not.
The destination is deeper learning.
The Hairitage Framework challenges educators to begin with what students already know, value, and experience—not because culture replaces academic rigor, but because it creates authentic pathways into it.
This perspective aligns naturally with the goals of modern Career and Technical Education. High-quality CTE isn’t simply about preparing students for jobs. It develops critical thinking, collaboration, communication, problem solving, adaptability, and entrepreneurship alongside technical knowledge. These are precisely the kinds of durable human skills that remain essential in an economy increasingly shaped by automation and artificial intelligence.
Perhaps the question isn’t whether cosmetology belongs in STEM.
Perhaps the better question is whether our understanding of STEM has become too narrow to recognize all the places rigorous learning already exists.
Education has always evolved by expanding its understanding of intelligence, talent, and possibility.
Maybe it’s time to expand our understanding of where those qualities live.
If we truly believe every student deserves to see themselves in the future of learning, then we must also be willing to broaden our definition of what counts as valuable knowledge.
Because when we change what we recognize, we also change what students believe is possible.
About the Author
Zenda M. Walker is the founder of Know Your Hairitage LLC, an award-winning author, licensed cosmetologist, educational consultant, and graduate student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is the creator of The Hairitage Framework™, an educational framework that uses culturally rooted practices as pathways to rigorous learning, belonging, identity development, and career-connected education. Rethinking Learning is her ongoing essay series exploring the ideas shaping the future of education.
by Zenda Walker | Mar 21, 2025 | Activism, Business, Hairitage
Introduction
The recent Consumer Reports study on synthetic hair has delivered unsettling results. Confirming long-held concerns, the study, detailed in Leigh-Ann Jackson’s article, reveals that 100% of the top ten braiding hair brands tested contain harmful VOCs, lead, and carcinogens.
This isn’t just a news flash; it’s a wake-up call. We’ve been here before. The recent natural hair renaissance was driven, in part, by the desire for healthier alternatives after hair relaxers were linked to an increased risk of certain cancers. This new revelation about synthetic braiding hair feels like a betrayal of the hard-won progress we’ve made in embracing our natural hair and cultural styles.
So, where do we go from here?
The Impact on Our Traditions
Consumer Reports’ findings hit hard because our hair customs are deeply intertwined with our identity. We’ve relied on certain products to achieve the styles that connect us to our ancestors and reflect our personal style. The fear is real: how can we continue to honor our traditions when the very tools we use are potentially harming us?
This revelation forces us to confront a difficult truth: the pursuit of flawless styles may have come at a hidden cost. We’ve been conditioned to believe that certain products are essential for achieving our desired looks, but at what expense?
A Call for Radical Honesty and Re-evaluation
Now, I know this might ruffle some feathers, but it’s time for some radical honesty. We need to challenge the status quo and question the very definition of “beautiful” within our community.
Here are some provocative questions that may spark a much-needed dialogue:
1. What if we just let our hair live in its natural frizz? What if we embraced the texture that grows from our scalps, celebrating the unique beauty of our natural hair? Frizz isn’t a flaw.
2. What if we braided down the natural length of our hair? Imagine intricate braids that showcase the natural length and volume of our hair, without extensions or added chemicals. It’s possible.
3. What if we let our Afros shrink? We love the big, bold Afro, but what if we allowed our hair to naturally recoil, embracing its natural volume and shape? What if we valued health over size and length?
4. What if we normalize free-form or cultivated locs for all ages? What if we allowed our locs to evolve organically, celebrating the natural process and release the stigmas that are attached to locked communities?
These questions aren’t about abandoning our traditions; they’re about honoring and reimagining them. They’re about prioritizing our health and well-being without sacrificing our cultural expression.
The Path Forward: Embracing Cleaner Beauty Alternatives
The good news is that we don’t have to choose between our health and our heritage. There’s a growing movement within the Black hair community that’s focused on clean, natural, and non-toxic products.
Here are some braiding hair brands that are leading the way:
- ReBundle: Founded by, Ciara Imani May, is known for their sustainable, plant-based braiding hair derived from naturally extracted banana fiber.
- Dosso Beauty: Founded by Kadidja Dosso, this brand focuses on clinically tested, pre-cleansed, pre-stretched, hypoallergenic and itch-free braiding hair.
- Nourie Hair: Founded by Osahon Ojeaga this brand boasts vegan, clean braiding hair that releases a nourishing complex during the wear of the hair.
100% human hair is another alternative to minimize or avoid harmful toxins and the discomfort that can come from chemical inflammation. It is recommended to still pre-wash the hair prior to installation as an extra precaution.
Here are some Human hair bundle hair and wig brands that are at the top of our list:
- Trace by Angela C. Stevens (aka. Angela C. Styles): Includes classic bundles, clip-ins and U-part inventory options are coming soon.
- True & Pure Texture by Pekela Riley: Includes bundles and clip-ins with an array of textures to achieve endless styles.
- Eve By Boz by Bozoma Saint John: Accompanied by a full care line up, this new line of human hair wigs and bundles offers texture variety and inches that are great for head-turning looks: Eve By Boz Products are manufactured in Ghana, West Africa.
Conclusion
The Consumer Reports study is a turning point. It’s an opportunity for us to redefine our beauty standards and reclaim our hair rituals. Let’s continue to embrace our natural textures, explore innovative styles, and support brands that prioritize our health.
It’s time to strip down to the basic necessities of healthy haircare. Our traditional styles can be achieved with safer products and in some cases, a curated paired down line up. We don’t have to sacrifice our health for beauty. Let’s create a future where our hair is a symbol of both our heritage and our well-being.
Let’s start the conversation. What are your thoughts? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below.
Zenda Walker is licensed cosmetologist and award-winning author of “Zara’s Wash Day” and “Zion’s Crown”- two books that celebrate hairstyles of the African Diaspora (Released by Running Press Kids in 2024). Zenda is also the CEO of Know Your Hairitage-an education consulting company that supports K-12 school districts with culturally responsive programming. She is represented by The Seymour Agency. For more information visit www.knowyourhairitage.com.
by Zenda Walker | Jun 23, 2024 | Culturally Responsive Content, Natural Hair, Pop Culture & Hairitage, Textured Hair, Wash Day
The “Inside Out” franchise is making it much easier for parents to navigate those tough conversations about emotions. The first movie brilliantly introduced us to the development of a young girl’s emotions. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear learned to work together to safeguard Riley’s well-being. “Inside Out 2” tackles Riley’s teenage years, where new emotions take center stage, and she grapples with solidifying her sense of self. Enter Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Boredom (Ennui).
Watching Riley navigate these overwhelming emotions became a powerful metaphor for why I started writing books that celebrate “hairitage.” Through my research and countless conversations with clients over the past two decades, I’ve witnessed firsthand how deeply our hair stories are tied to self-perception. Memories shape beliefs, and the messages we receive about our hair, from family and society alike, have a profound impact.
Some clients I’ve spoken with grew up hearing affirmations about their beautiful, textured hair. For others, the narrative was vastly different. Words like, “ugly,” “difficult,” “messy,” and “unprofessional,” become too often associated with curly, coily, Afro-coily textures. Some received both positive and negative feedback, leaving them conflicted and perpetually unsure of themselves.
Black women, in particular, face a unique burden when it comes to societal expectations surrounding hair. That’s why it’s crucial for guardians, parents, and hairstylists to be hyper-aware of how they communicate with young people, especially during wash day. Positive experiences, in the emotional and physical developmental stages, can significantly impact a child’s self-esteem.
“Inside Out 2” cleverly highlights how our own childhood anxieties and traumas can sometimes resurface and influence our adult decisions. So, how can an adult with insecurities about their own textured hair empower a child to embrace theirs? The movie, perhaps unintentionally, offers a solution: it reminds us that occasional fear, anxiety, disgust, and anger are normal parts of life’s journey. We don’t have to bottle up these “maladaptive” emotions. Instead, acknowledging and accepting them can be the first step towards rediscovering joy. Perhaps this is why many of Riley’s core memories end up including multiple emotions, not just a single emotion formed in isolation.
Our hair wash day memories can embody several emotions, and discovering the joy in the journey is key to trusting the process and embracing our hair in all its glory.
My daughter, Zara, and I confronted the root of our hair insecurities by experimenting with techniques and products, ultimately finding joy in learning about the cultural hairstyles passed down in my family – a connection to a rich ancestral legacy. The experiences of Zara and Zion in my books, “Zara’s Wash Day” and “Zion’s Crown,” mirror this journey as well. While moments of fear, doubt, and frustration may still arise, our heightened awareness and appreciation for our hairitage make it easier to bounce back and rediscover feelings of joy.
