Three-time Polk State grad to be featured in documentary by Emmy Award-winning director

Polk State College graduate Alisha Hinton has found success as the owner of a business and a nonprofit, and she uses those platforms as a bridge to help others.  People have taken notice.

Hinton will be featured in a documentary filmed at the Polk County Jail, where she teaches incarcerated women how to braid hair, so that they leave with an employability skill, learn about entrepreneurship, and have a new focus on self-improvement. The documentary is produced by Karina Michel, an Emmy Award-winning actress, director, producer, journalist, and podcast host. Her work with incarcerated women has also been featured on Tampa Bay 28 ABC and Spectrum Bay News 9.

A native of Avon Park, Hinton has styled hair for more than 25 years and has operated her business, Lisha Lou, in Mulberry since 2020. She is also the founder of Knot Your Average Academy, which helps families, including foster and adoptive parents, with hair care for their child.

“The most rewarding parts of entrepreneurship and working with families with my nonprofit are seeing the outcomes – seeing people feel good and gain confidence by their appearance and their skillset; to know how to do their child’s hair; to do their own hair; to take care of their clients,” Hinton explained. “Seeing them excited about what that produces and positive outcomes is what excites me.”

The Polk State experience

Hinton was always a high academic achiever. Out of high school, Hinton attended the University of South Florida, one of the nation’s top universities. Hinton, however, moved closer to home and began attending what was then Polk Community College.

“What stood out most about Polk State was the ease of it all,” Hinton recalled.

She ultimately earned her Polk State Associate in Arts degree in 2008 and returned to get her Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management in 2012. In 2020, Hinton earned a certificate from Polk State’s Educator Preparation Institute (EPI), designed for professionals with a four-year non-education degree who have a desire to teach in the K-12 school system.

“As I progressed (from Polk Community) to Polk State, I was able to get my four-year degree here without having to transition back out,” Hinton added. “The timing of that was great. As I got into education through the EPI Program, I was able to do my courses online. It made everything super easy. I was able to enjoy the campus life (during my early college years) and the convenience of taking courses online while I worked.”

During her time at Polk State, Hinton was a member of the TRiO Program, which provides support to underrepresented students who have the potential to meet the challenges of higher education by strengthening and developing their academic and self-management skills.

“The TRiO Program helped me to get through my degree,” Hinton reflected. “I didn’t have to worry about how to pay for books, where to get a laptop, how to get this expensive calculator. My mom wasn’t able to pay for these things. The TRiO Program was a bridge that allowed me to gain access to those things, focus on school, and not have to worry too much about the expenses of school.”

The TRiO Program then was led by Kim Pearsall, now Director of Disability and Counseling Services. During Hinton’s tenure at Polk State, Pearsall served as one of her mentors.

“Ms. Kim Pearsall helped me with the TRiO Program but any time I would have a question or get lost or not know where to go, she was my resource,” Hinton added. “She helped link me to advisors and to advocate for myself and to ask questions. She didn’t know it at the time, but she was truly an important person in helping me maneuver through school.”

Giving back

Although Hinton’s time at USF was brief, she has credited its resources, specifically its Small Business Development Center, with helping her evolve as a business owner. She said the same for SCORE Business Mentoring.

After completing the EPI Program at Polk State, Hinton briefly worked as a teacher at Mulberry Middle School and Lawton Chiles Middle School in Lakeland. While teaching in Mulberry, Hinton was observed by then Assistant Principal James Bracey, who told her she was “born to teach.”

“It was my first year teaching and I felt like I was not doing the best,” Hinton remembered. “That statement stuck with me forever.”

Since then, Hinton has taught outside the classroom setting. She explained that it was her time as an educator that ultimately prompted her to begin working with incarcerated women.

“Even though I’m not in the classroom, I’m in jail teaching,” Hinton added. “They come out encouraged and with a newfound confidence.

“I was one of those educators where the most challenging kids liked to come and be in my classroom,” Hinton continued. “With that, I focused on building relationships and learning about their day-to-day lives. When incarcerated parents come home and they don’t have a job, they now have a record and I asked myself, ‘how can I help your parents help you?’”

Through her business and nonprofit, Hinton has sought to empower others. She has collaborated with Lakeland Dream Center, Girls, Inc., Top Buttons, and Dress for Success Tampa Bay. Hinton also mentors other hair braiders in growing and starting their businesses.

“Alisha is a wonderful example of how a Polk State education can become a catalyst for meaningful impact and engagement in the community,” Polk State President Anastasios Kamoutsas said. “She has used the knowledge, skills, and confidence she gained at Polk State to build successful ventures, create opportunities, and empower others.”

Hinton offered advice for those with similar interests and goals.

“For anyone seeking to start a business or do more in the community, just do it,” Hinton urged. “It may seem like a big thing, but the picture can be very small, so take one step at a time. If you’re great at crocheting blankets, make a blanket and donate it to a hospital. You’ll see the momentum build from there.

“Communicate with people; network,” she concluded. “That’s when things started to grow for me. Sitting still and trying to figure out things on my own were not going to let me get far. Take a step and you’ll see the connections start to come.”