Twenty-year-old Texas State University senior and business founder NaJaiyah Virgil is proving that purpose and perseverance can take an idea from the classroom to the national stage.
Virgil, a Management major in the McCoy College of Business and founder of Hair Supremacist, captured first place at the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Global Student Entrepreneurs Awards in Dallas, which is considered a pathway of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Her victory earned her a $6,000 cash prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to the EO National competition in the Dominican Republic.
Virgil first connected with the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship through its Return on Innovation Pitch Competition last September, where she earned second place. Encouraged by the Director of the CIE, Quinn Valentine, and the entrepreneur Randy Haran, she entered the EO competition and hasn’t looked back since.
Founded while Virgil was still in high school, Hair Supremacist provides luxury braiding services for Black women, a business rooted, in her words, “in honoring beauty, dignity, and success.”
After winning in Dallas, Virgil had just one week to prepare for nationals in the Dominican Republic. She sought mentorship from the CIE, EO members, local entrepreneurs, and faculty, transforming her business into a subscription- based and franchiseready model designed to scale nationwide.
“I gained so much from that experience. Dallas taught me that believing in yourself as an entrepreneur matters more than believing in your business. My biggest limiting belief was thinking it wouldn’t succeed. The Dallas pitch competition gave me permission to dream bigger, and that’s when the franchise model emerged.”
At the national competition in the Dominican Republic, Virgil competed against 16 students from across the country, placing eighth overall, missing the top seven by just one-tenth of a percent.
But rather than disappointment, she gained something more valuable: practical feedback, powerful mentor connections, and a clear roadmap to accelerate her franchise vision.
“The Dominican Republic taught me that even people who are highly successful are still willing to help you. I connected with so many mentors there.”
The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Texas State University empowers students to turn ideas into impact through mentorship, education, and community partnerships. Learn more at innovation. txst.edu
NAJAIYAH VIRGIL
