Ms. Bolden teaches Cosmetology at the Woodruff Career and Technical Center. She was born and raised in Peoria and is one of 13 children, all of whom attended and graduated from Woodruff. She is the mother of one outstanding son.

After graduating from Woodruff, Ms. Bolden attended Bradley University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, with a minor in Biology and Foreign Language.

Cosmetology is her second career. She has always been creative and loved styling hair. Hence, she decided to totally switch gears in life and obtained a Cosmetology license which later led to becoming an instructor. Ms. Bolden attended Dudley Beauty College in Chicago, IL, and received her Cosmetology Instructor’s license. Ms. Bolden's desire was to own her own Cosmetology school. In 2008, her dream came true! She opened the first black-owned Cosmetology School in Peoria, The Illinois Institute of Cosmetology, where she trained and graduated several adults in the beauty industry.

After a few years, Ms. Bolden wrote a proposal to bring Cosmetology back to Peoria Public Schools. Permission was granted and she was allowed to design and develop the program that the Woodruff Career and Technical Center uses today.

Ms. Bolden has had many achievements throughout her life, but teaching has been one of the most rewarding. It’s her calling and passion. Ms. Bolden feels so blessed to be able to help students soar in a profession that is so dear to her heart.