Home / About
A career school, not a certificate mill.
MIAA Beauty Institute is a private career school in Prince George's, Maryland, licensed by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, with programs approved by the Maryland Board of Cosmetologists.
Technical rigour, taught for the clientele that actually exists.
Beauty education has a long habit of teaching to one hair texture and one skin tone and treating everything else as specialized. That is backwards, and it leaves graduates unprepared for the clients who walk through the door in this region.
MIAA was built the other way around. Coily and curly hair, protective styling, deeper complexions, and the conditions that present differently on them are core curriculum from the first week. Not because it is a differentiator on a website, but because a licensed professional who cannot serve the client in front of them is not fully trained.
Alongside that, we teach the part most schools skip: the business. Pricing, booking, retention, retail, the difference between renting a booth and taking a job, and how to keep your license in good standing. A license is a permission slip. A career takes more.
Cohorts here are capped and enrollment is limited. That constrains how fast we grow, which is a trade we have decided to make. Small groups are the only way an instructor can watch closely enough to correct technique before it sets.
Who runs the school.
Marriah Jones
Marriah founded MIAA Beauty Institute and serves as its Executive Director. She holds a master’s degree in Acquisition and Supply Chain Management and is completing a PhD in Business and Entrepreneurship. Before founding MIAA she served as a warranted federal Contracting Officer with the U.S. Department of Energy. She has been selected for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business, the University of Maryland Equity Incubator, the Amazon Black Business Accelerator, and FSC First Level Up.
Donita Smith
Donita is Senior Cosmetologist and salon owner with decades of industry experience. In her role ar MIAA, she oversees instructional quality across all programs, supervises instructor performance and classroom delivery, and manages externship oversight. Above all, Donita is an extraordinary talent and true treasure in the beauty industry.
The Beauty Access Fund.
The MIAA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the Beauty Access Fund, a scholarship program for students who need a bridge to get into training. To date the Fund has raised more than $75,000 and awarded 14 scholarships.
Talent is evenly distributed. Tuition money is not. The Fund exists to narrow that gap for students in this community, and it is supported by donors, partners, and proceeds from MIAA initiatives.
AAIM Beauty Innovators Summit
Founded in 2024, the AAIM Beauty Innovators Summit brings together beauty professionals, educators, and entrepreneurs for a day of technical education and business development.
Come see it for yourself.
Everything above is easier to judge in person. Book a tour.