Meet Kalayna Walker. Like many other students on the bustling campus of LSU, Kalayna runs a business, but instead of handmade jewelry or clothes, her business offers something a little different.

“I wanted no little girl to feel the way that I felt when I was younger,” Walker said.

Walker was diagnosed with alopecia at the age of three and by age seven, had completely lost her hair.

“From the ages of seven to 20 I hid in wigs, I didn’t say nothing to nobody,” Walker said. “I was hiding. My mom was customizing wigs for me as a young child.”

Struggling with confidence, Kalyana found herself in two outlets, faith, and dance.

“It was my first love,” Walker said. “Dancing took me off of ‘life is about hair’ and it became ‘girl just go dance.’”

Alopecia is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks and kills healthy hair follicles, and while it can affect all ages, the disease usually affects people during childhood.

Over seven million people in the United States and 116 million worldwide have had or will have a form of alopecia, with women at higher risk than men. It’s here where Kalayna makes her biggest impact.

Walker’s program provides mentorship and opportunities for other young girls with alopecia, like six year old Charlie Burks, who through Walker, met the LSU Gymnastics team and her favorite gymnast, Haleigh Bryant.

It’s through these opportunities that Walker finds her purpose, and lead with confidence.

“I thought it would never be possible for me to feel like the best version of myself without a wig, so when I see these girls embracing their baldness at that age when I couldn’t, that’s the most impactful,” Walker said.

“You are more than just your hair, hair is just that, but what makes you special is that you stand out in such a beautiful way, not just on the outside and on the inside. Keep being you, keep being true, because that’s what makes you beautiful.”