Local StoriesMay 22, 2025

Meet Lili Diallo of BraidsByLili

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lili Diallo.

Hi Lili, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well Hi, My name is Lili Diallo. I am naturally from Conakry, Guinea. If you’re asking where that is, just think of West Africa or Nigeria. Its not as big to everyone else as it is in my head. I grew up on the south side of Metro Atlanta, in the East Point/College Park area. I am 26 years old and it still seems unreal saying that. I currently work in the medical field while growing my business as a hair braider. I began braiding at the age of 9 but other than learning all things braids in my mother’s braiding shop, I was your average kid with goals that would soon come to fruition,

I have known that I have wanted to work in health/healthcare for as long as I remember. Growing up is such a busy city, I chose a collegiate institution that would give me a much more of diverse perspective on life and of course, LESS TRAFFIC. Georgia Southern gave me a sense of a small town feel, which I loved, but it was also known nationally for its Public Health Undergrad Program. While in college, I came in knowing I wanted to major in all things Public Health and yearned to gain so much more of an experience on a global scale. It was going great until COVID19 decided to make an appearance. This changed any type of in person/hands-on internship I could’ve had in the field I had been studying for years prior.

While in college, I always knew I had to continue braiding. I enjoyed it but then, I could make it my own and learn things that weren’t in shops and modernize my braiding style to fit my skills. While living off campus. braiding both clients that were also in school (and even their moms!) and out of local braiding shops in Statesboro, I grew my clientele and learned my strength and weaknesses. This became a large part of my income as a college student while also juggling full time classes/16-18 credit hour semesters, a job as an on-campus housing desk assistant, a volunteer GSU student ambassador and a babysitter for a local couple and their 2 children. I also traveled and made the best of my college experience. I could never sit still and it might seem like much, but I loved it. I graduated in 2020 and continued living in Statesboro, braiding, volunteering, babysitting, and most importantly traveling. Because of COVID19 making most things remote, I began my career out of undergrad pretty confused and lost, to be honest. One thing was for sure, I would succeed in any path Allah chose to guide me on.

I began my Master’s in Public Health program in 2021. I did feel like I was on a path to success and at least knew that Public Health was still my calling. In 2022, I became pregnant with my daughter and although this was my greatest blessing, it was also the most challenging part of my life. I also began working remotely in 2022 and this was my introduction into the medical field. I grew in my position as a medical transcriptionist, becoming a lead in less than 1 year. Through it all, I was continuously braiding on the weekends and throughout the week if my schedule permitted. Yep! I was pregnant, working, braiding AND in school. Can you tell that I love being busy? If it makes you feel any better, I scheduled a massage every month to calm my nerves because oh my, I needed it.

To start off 2023, I began an internship with the CDC’s workforce development and working with the CDC in general was a lifelong dream of mine. I had my beautiful daughter in March and I got to look at my biggest blessing everyday from then on. My support system made it even better. After 4 weeks of unpaid leave (yeah you heard that right, UNPAID), I returned to work and continued school until I graduated with my master’s in May of 2023. Now, I could grow my business in braiding and also look for a more beneficial position in the medical field that cared for me as a mom and a recent graduate of a masters program. I never knew how difficult this could be. My 6 months internship ended and I was off searching, applying, working and parenting.

I always thought that with a masters degree, no one should ever struggle finding a job. I thought wrong of course but in the end, I ended up living a life I will always be proud of. In 2024, I received an offer as a full-time transcriptionist in the medical field of dermatology and I also began my OWN business in hair braiding with loyal clientele and continuously growing skillset.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I currently specialize in many extension-needed braid styles. To name a few, knotless braids, fulani braids, spring twists, Senegalese twists, etc. Please book the IG url provided.

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