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Jessica Aimunmondion was only 10 years old when she began braiding hair. Now, she braids out of her dorm room at Syracuse University.

“I just have a passion for hair. I can’t even explain it, that’s just where I gravitate to the most,” she said.

Aimunmondion — an SU first-year applied data science graduate student — runs Glam by JD, a hairstyling service. Aimunmondion started conceptualizing the business in New Jersey where she’s from, but her work took off during her freshman year at SU, in 2021.

Aimunmondion is a resident adviser in Watson Hall and runs Glam by JD out of her dorm room. She opens her bookings each month and schedules one to two clients per week. The SU graduate student offers a range of styles, like twists, box braids, cornrows and more.

Aimunmondion immigrated from Nigeria to Newark, N.J. in 2010 when she was 6 years old. Her mother always did her and her sisters’ hair growing up, so when her mom didn’t have the time to keep doing it, Aimunmondion decided to start learning.

Her experience only grew from there, and by the time she graduated high school she was working as an assistant at a local hair salon, Chrisma Braids, in Irvington, N.J.

Transitioning from home to SU, Aimunmondion reached out to Black students on Instagram, asking if they knew anyone on campus who did hair. The students told her there weren’t many options, and realized she could fill the demand.

“I started doing my roommate’s hair, then next door neighbors, then it just blossomed even more,” Aimunmondion said.

Some of her first clients were the friends she made while establishing Glam by JD on campus. Alex Hamza, a senior at SU majoring in biomedical engineering, said Aimunmondion was the first person to ever braid his hair. He’s stuck with her ever since.

“The whole vibe that she exudes when she does hair is amazing, because she’s really in her element, and she really enjoys it,” Hamza said. “And I love that, because a lot of braiders might just do it for the money.”

Some of Jessica Aimunmondion’s first friends at Syracuse University were also the first clients of her hairstyling business, Glam by JD. As she grew her social network through student organizations, her clientele grew too. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer

The cultural communities Aimunmondion joined on campus were vital in her outreach process for Glam by JD. She met Hamza during his freshman year, and the two, along with Nana Twum-Barima, a first-year law student, were part of One World Dance Team together, the first and only African dance team on campus.

Aimunmondion said finding her people at SU wasn’t hard, and the opportunities and support she’s gotten from them have made all the difference in her journey. Hamza said that even though SU is a predominantly white institution, it often doesn’t feel that way.

“The Black or POC [students] on campus are really tight knit, and diverse as well,” Hamza said. “Everyone is just so interactive with each other.”

As Aimunmondion’s community on campus grew, so did her clientele. Students recognized her work ethic and skill, and her name quickly spread. Eddie Etienne, an SU alumnus, friend and client of Aimunmondion, said her kind and extroverted nature helped her attain loyal clients.

“She will guide you in what you want, what you need, how you want it to be fulfilled,” Etienne said. “She makes it a home away from home, and makes it comfortable for you, no matter who you are.”

Before meeting Aimunmondion, Etienne never let anyone other than his twin sister braid his hair. The trust clients place in Aimunmondion motivates her.

“Hair is something special, and I emanate on a regular basis that it’s always a privilege for someone to trust me with their head and their hair,” Aimunmondion said.

Soon enough, Glam by JD was recognized by SU organizations, and in 2022 Aimunmondion was invited to the Black Beauty Expo for the first time. She’s showcased her work at the event three years in a row. During her senior year, she attended Hair Me Out with the Diversity and Inclusion Student-Athlete Board.

Jessica Aimunmondion offers a range of styles like twists, box braids and cornrows. She stays up to date on trends in the hair world so she can meet her clients’ wants and needs. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer

Aimunmondion approaches hairstyling with an open mind, and she resonates with the culture and history behind it. Hair and braiding is a huge part of African culture, and during slavery, braids were used as maps to help people escape, she said. That historical significance is just one part of why hair is so important to not only Aimunmondion, but the Black community as a whole.

“It’s a way to foster relationships, community and just have support,” she said. “We have passed down culture and storytelling, and honestly, it’s therapy.”

When Aimunmondion is back home in New Jersey, her work doesn’t stop. She continues to learn and experiment at the salon she first worked at, often collaborating with other braiders to become more experienced. Work for Glam by JD continues, and she does appointments for people where she lives in Union, N.J.

“Whenever I go home, I’m always braiding,” Aimunmondion said. “It’s not like I take a break.”

Because her prime audience is students, Aimunmondion aims to understand current hair trends well. She’s eager to learn from both social media and the needs of her clients. Hamza and Twum-Barima both said they always ask her to experiment with their hair, showing her new designs and styles.

Twum-Barima said because they’re similar in age and such good friends, she’s not afraid to be honest with Aimunmondion about how satisfied she is with her hair. They both said that’s something they don’t always get when working with braiders who are older in age, because they’re sometimes more intimidating.

Above everything else, Aimunmondion’s core mission is to make people feel beautiful when they come to her. She’s consistently driven by her faith and her love of the craft. Hair is a form of expression, and having someone clients can rely on to do their hair well is important, Hamza said.

“I want my clients to know that, first and foremost, you’re beautiful no matter what, whether you get your hair done or not,” Aimunmondion said. “This is just magnifying that beauty.”

Published on September 8, 2025 at 10:43 pm