The Science of Beauty Founder Sakeya Donaldson Honored as 2025 STEM Atlanta Educator of the Year

We are proud to share that Sakeya Donaldson, Founder of The Science of Beauty, has been named 2025 STEM Atlanta Educator of the Year, honored at the STEMMII Awards last December.

While this recognition bears her name, it reflects something much larger. It marks a year of transformation for The Science of Beauty and what becomes possible when education, culture, and opportunity are intentionally aligned. In 2025, The Science of Beauty expanded hands-on STEM + beauty education across multiple cities, deepened academic partnerships with STEM Atlanta, Spelman College, Xavier University of Louisiana, and STEM NOLA, and continued to affirm a core belief: representation in STEM is not optional; it is essential.

The story behind this award begins with the humblest amount of uncertainty. At the start of the year, when our team attended the Future Is Her Conference at Georgia Tech, hosted by Georgia Tech and powered by STEM Atlanta Women, Georgia AIM, and Pink STEM. Soon after, we sat down to map out what 2025 could hold for The Science of Beauty. The vision felt very ambitious. We wanted to elevate our programs, expand our reach, and move beyond what we had already proven was possible. In one of those early meetings, Sakeya named something important: the vision felt bigger than herself.

Not impossible.

Just heavy.

At that point, we weren’t yet imagining how the program could be integrated into school systems, let alone convening thought leaders for an entire National STEM Day program. The path forward wasn’t clear, and the scale of the work ahead felt vast. What defined the year wasn’t the absence of overwhelm. It was the decision to meet it head-on.

Celebrity Stylist to STEM Advocate

Sakeya never set out to be an educator. Style and fashion were, and remain, her lane. Her career spans more than two decades across fashion, beauty, media, and advocacy, from styling cultural icons to serving as an on-air correspondent, author, and community leader. Education emerged later as a response to lived experience and a growing awareness of what happens when brilliance lacks access. As a woman who is formerly incarcerated, Sakeya knows firsthand how easily potential can be dismissed or redirected. Rather than allowing that reality to limit her, she transformed it into purpose.

Throughout the year, The Science of Beauty expanded beyond summer camps with the launch of our webinar series, UNLOCK THE SCIENCE OF BEAUTY -- connecting young girls, aspiring professionals, and everyday consumers to the science behind the beauty industry. These conversations didn’t just inform; they built bridges. Throughout the course of the year, Sakeya visited 5 different schools in Hillsborough County, Tampa, Florida, led demonstrations at Girl Evolve, and visited neighboring community organizations to share her story and evolving understanding of the intersection between STEM and beauty. We also launched THE BODY BLUEPRINT BOX, which extended our program to 200 additional students to show them how they can experience the power of our movement in the classroom and at home. 

As Sakeya often says, “I’m not a master chemist.”And that is precisely the point.

She does not position herself as the expert in every discipline. Instead, she bridges gaps, bringing students into proximity with Black men and women leading innovation across STEM and beauty. She teaches students how to steward information, apply it meaningfully, and build confidence along the way.

What she is really teaching is agency.

This Honor Hits Different

Our founder, a proud graduate of Clark Atlanta University and the Fashion Institute of Technology, has had an incredibly unique path that reflects resilience. Her leadership in prison reform, community impact, and her literary contributions have earned her President Biden’s Lifetime Achievement Award and national acclaim.  Sakeya could not have imagined this was where her journey would lead her after her time in prison, not because she lacked desire, but because she was still learning how deeply interconnected STEM and beauty truly are. 

Not coming from a STEM background made her learning curve steep, and what made all the difference was the community who’ve rallied around her since our inception in 2021. With mentors, partners, and collaborators alongside her, encouraging her as she continued to show up, The Science of Beauty gained momentum. What once felt overwhelming found its rhythm. What began as a program became a movement.

Being named 2025 STEM Atlanta Educator of the Year honors that evolution. It recognizes not only outcomes, but the courage it took to grow into a role she never planned for and the leadership required to turn learning into a legacy. This work does not happen in isolation. We are deeply grateful for our brand partners who invest in education with intention and integrity, including The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Bask and Lather Co., Juvia’s Place LLC, The Gentlemen’s Course, Inc., StockX and MyAvana.

We also honor our partnership with STEM Atlanta and the mentorship of Dr. Maxine Cain, whose leadership and commitment continue to shape the future of rising changemakers and the industries they will one day lead.

Reflecting on the honor, Sakeya shared:

At The Science of Beauty, we believe access to information can shift a young person’s worldview. When that access is paired with leadership grounded in resilience, the impact reverberates far beyond the classroom.

We are proud of this moment, and we're so eager to dominate, purposefully bring programs and initiatives to life that shift the world of STEM and beauty-- giving it the makeover it's desperate for.