Justiss, a Dessert Storm US Naval Veteran and former Programmer with the Shuttle Program, graduated from Alamance Community College’s cosmetology program in 2016 after decades in the field of computers and programming.

Born in Enid Oklahoma and raised in Florida, she was the youngest employee at Florida’s first Internet Company, Florida Online. At the age of 17, she was bitten by the entreprenurial bug early in life working for this amazing small business and learned about the world of communications and computers and how to start what would become a multimillion dollar company.

After highschool, she decided to join the military to see the world. After her tour of duty, she worked for companies such as the Army Corp of Engineers, Harley-Davidson, and United Space Alliance.

Her work with each company gave her leadership and team building experience, and when she was laid off in 2011 when the Space Shuttle Contract ended, her and her family relocated to North Carolina.

She returned to school in 2016 to earn her license in cosmetology, with the goal of opening her first of many salons.

A cut and color specialist, she proudly opened Mebane’s CANVAS Salon in 2019, an eco-friendly hair salon.

Justiss, with the help of her amazing friends and family and support from her ever growing book of clients, grew her business from the ground up, and is no stranger to failure or perseverance.

She is a mom to Leif, her amazing son, wife to Shanee, a local charter school science and math teacher. They live in the rural community of Snow Camp with their German Shephard Chewie, near the quaint village of Saxapahaw, nestled against the Haw River.