Kamaia John

Kamaia John has had a clear vision for her future since she was about six years old and growing up in Brooklyn, New York. The goal has never changed, but the path to get there has undergone a few deviations. Now that she’s at Western Connecticut State University as a Marketing student, her determination to fulfill her dreams is coming into sharper focus.

“I have had a passion for cosmetology since first grade,” John said. “My goal has always been to open a huge, multi-service salon where my clients can get all the self-care services in one place.”

With that goal in mind, John initially thought her best approach would be to create her own line of beauty products, and she enrolled at UConn to pursue a degree in chemistry with a future focus on cosmetic chemistry. But coming from the Park Slope Collegiate High School in Brooklyn to Storrs was “a major culture shock,” she said. In fact, the outstanding student who graduated a year early from high school, was completely floundering in UConn’s huge, auditorium-style mathematics and science classes, and it was time to reassess.

“After thinking about it, it seemed like small business entrepreneurship might be a better way to reach my goal,” John said. “I decided to see if any other colleges might offer more than UConn in that regard. I looked at options at home, in New York City, but I really wanted a new environment filled with different people and experiences and the opportunity to get out of New York. My sister had gone to college in western New York, and that was too far from home for me, so I looked on Long Island, in Pennsylvania and in Connecticut. My best friend at UConn was from Danbury, and she spoke favorably about WestConn. In fact, neither of us was enjoying the social environment or learning methods where we were, and she transferred first to WestConn’s Nursing program and I followed, as a Marketing major, in fall 2023.”

The difference was immediately apparent. “The classes at WestConn are so much smaller,” John said. “It’s a big change from 300 students in a lecture hall. The professors at WestConn actually teach — they explain and make sure everyone understands the concepts. They know your name, and it’s easier to form a relationship with them. Everyone here is passionate. The faculty care about the students and their success.”

John has taken those relationships to the next level, working as an assistant in the Ancell Commons, where she helps to market Ancell School of Business events for the Commons and the Dean’s Office. She also joined the Western Marketing Association, the university’s student American Marketing Association (AMA) organization. This year, she was able to attend the national AMA Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she participated in the “Perfect Pitch Competition.” John will also take the stage as a model in the university’s African-Caribbean Student Association’s annual Fashion Show this spring.

“I’m excited for this journey,” John said. “This semester is my most active being involved in activities, and will provide a big opportunity for me in terms of networking and getting my name out there. I’m also really enjoying my favorite class, Contemporary Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communications. It’s giving me hands-on experience in using my creativity to work with a client and allowing me to plan content to help grow the client into something bigger. There’s a lot that goes into marketing that I had no idea about,” she continued. “Learning about demographics, market segmentation, etc. Gaining this knowledge in these classes has me thinking so much.”

In addition to her studies at WestConn, John plans to acquire her nail technician license and ultimately to go to cosmetology school for licensing. “I started my nail journey during the pandemic,” she said. “I saved my money to buy products and self-taught myself how to do a very difficult art form. My parents have been very supportive, and I’m very proud of myself.”

With these skills and her entrepreneurial and marketing knowledge, there is little doubt John will reach her goals. In fact, she proudly states, “I will accomplish my dreams under any circumstances.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.