Influential Woman · Shipbuilding, Cosmetology, Nonprofit Community Service
Yulawnda Jennings
Electrician Foreman, Owner, Versatile Styles
Hampton, VA
Her Story
About Yulawnda
I've dedicated 22 years to the cosmetology field, starting when I graduated from cosmetology school at a young age. My journey took me from working with companies like the Ratner Company, Paul Mitchell, and the haircuttery to becoming an independent contractor and opening my own beauty salon, Versatile Styles, in 2013. As I advanced into trichology, studying healthcare, hair, and beauty, I discovered my true calling was uplifting women and young girls. This inspired me to launch my nonprofit, Young Girls Into Women, which cultivates young girls from different walks of life through programs like resume writing, etiquette classes, and connecting them with community resources and colleges. When COVID impacted my salon business in 2020, I went back to school for electrician training and joined Newport News Shipyard (an entity of Huntington Ingalls) in 2021. Within my first two years, I became a master electrician and then advanced to electrician foreman, where I now work on aircraft carriers and lead enrichment classes to train upcoming leadership among young shipbuilders and craftsmen. I earned my Master's in Human Services from Liberty University, focusing on psychology with a minor in counseling for young children and mental health. While the pay in human services didn't fit my lifestyle, I use those skills extensively in my nonprofit work and leadership role at the shipyard. Today, I balance three major commitments: my foreman position at the shipyard starting at 4 AM daily, running Versatile Styles (currently busy with prom season), and expanding my nonprofit to include Young Boys to Men, feeding the homeless through partnerships with the Virginia Food Bank, and operating my own food pantry. I'm a free-hearted person who loves giving back and working hand-in-hand with people to help them feel good about themselves.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Yulawnda
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is: If the work you've done speaks for yourself, do not change the narrative. This advice has guided me throughout my journey, reminding me to let my accomplishments and actions stand on their own merit without feeling the need to alter or embellish the story of what I've achieved.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I've always been the type of person that loves giving back and working hand-in-hand with people. I'm a free-hearted person, so anything that I can do to help someone, I will. Even in my work as a cosmetologist, I'm not just giving people a service to make them look good, I'm helping them feel good about themselves. Standing behind that chair, I get to talk to people, and sometimes they get to air out their problems and issues. That connection and ability to help people through whatever they're going through is one of the biggest things to me. This value of service and uplifting others drives everything I do, from my salon work to my nonprofit efforts to my leadership role at the shipyard.
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