Alexandra Butler, celebrity makeup artist and Missouri S&T alumna, will be the keynote speaker during STEM Exploration Day 11 a.m. May 7 at Leach Theatre. 

Butler, from St. Louis, earned bachelor’s degree in engineering management with a minor in industrial psychology from S&T in 2005.  

Throughout her career, Butler has done makeup for celebrities such as Missy Elliott, Katerina Graham, Viola Davis and Da Brat. She’s worked on TV shows, including “Vampire Diaries” and “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”  

Butler’s keynote speech is about her unusual path from engineer to makeup artist, and about inspiring students to follow their passions. 

“With my story being a unique one, my speech is talking about staying steadfast and pushing to finish school because once you graduate, you have your degree and you have experience,” Butler says. “You can do anything in this world that you want to do.” 

Butler originally worked in the engineering field after graduating from S&T but changed direction after tapping back into her artistic background. In 2008, she discovered her love for makeup and later moved to Atlanta, which was a booming production city for film and TV. There, she worked full-time at a MAC Cosmetics makeup counter and networked with people in the entertainment business. 

“You never know who’s in your chair,” she says. “They could be a producer, somebody’s manager. So, I acted as if everyone was a star.” 

One customer turned out to manage popular rapper Da Brat, which turned into another gig on the TV show “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta.”  

“I had started working on all these shows, and my name got out there,” Butler says. “It just so happened that Missy Elliott was looking for a local makeup artist, and my cousin’s father was her music teacher. She ended up connecting us, and the rest was history.” 

Butler believes that higher education is important. During her speech, she will discuss the value of earning a college degree, and the valuable life experience and connections that come from college. 

“I’ve met engineers who are now chemists, radio personalities or business owners,” Butler says. “They all say they’re glad to have gotten a degree. Anything you experience in school is key to being a successful person in life.” 

To attend the keynote speech, RSVP at go.mst.edu/alexandra. 

About Missouri S&T 

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.