Senior Tess Stader has been involved in the cosmetology program at the McKenzie Career Center for the past year and a half. Stader got involved in the program because she planned to use cosmetology as a backup career for being a marine veterinarian. After being involved in the program and developing her makeup artist skills, she decided that she wanted to pursue cosmetology as her future career.
“My teacher told me I was so good at it. I won three competitions. I went all the way to state, so I think I’m going to make it a career now,” Stader said.
This year, Stader will have a new renovated space to work in at McKenzie with the new salon that was added last year. Studio 75 is the student run salon at McKenzie that the second year cosmetology students will work in.
Cosmetology teacher Claudia Heck is looking forward to the opening of Studio 75 on Sept. 5 and believes the newly renovated space will offer a lot to the students.
“It’s stepped up the professionalism. They want to come here and they want to be dressed and ready to serve the clients,” Heck said.
Along with the new renovations to the department, a new barbering program has been added on as well. New teacher Michael Johnson is in charge of the program and has high hopes for the development of the program throughout its first year.
“My hope is not just to provide or for my students to provide, not just a good haircut or a good shave but to provide them a relationship, to provide them mentorship, leadership, a listening ear, encouragement, whatever it might be. That’s my goal, to not only make them a great barber but a great person. My expectations for the program is just to be great,” Johnson said.
According to Heck, the cosmetology and barbering programs are a great way for students to not only improve on their professionalism and learn new skills but also to have a stable job after high school. Heck has seen many students that go on to pursue cosmetology and others that use it as a job to help pay for college.
“It’s important because then they can become licensed cosmetologist and then they can actually get their certification before walking across the stage and getting their diploma. So it is important for the ladies and gentlemen to go through this program and have a way to make a living,” Heck said.
As a part of the cosmetology program, Stader has developed her cosmetology skills. Last year, Stader competed in multiple competitions where she built upon what she had learned in her classes. Although the competitions were stressful and she made some mistakes, Stader believes this helped her to improve her skill as a makeup artist.
“I struggled but I learned how to work with it. When I was doing makeup, I accidently got in my model’s eye. I learned how not to rush. I learned how to take my time. Even if I didn’t get one piece on my makeup done I still worked on it. It’s time management but I learned how to do it,” Stader said.
Besides providing students with the opportunities for improving their professionalism, Studio 75 also gives the students lots of time to document clocked hours in order to get their cosmetology license. Through the program at McKenzie, students have the opportunity to get their cosmetology license by passing their exit exam in the class and then taking the state board exam through a state agency. Along with passing these exams, students must complete 1500 clocked hours of cosmetology work, 1010 progress services and pass every test with a 75 or better in order to be eligible to receive their license. Cosmetology teacher Casandra Evans believes this is a helpful step for students to take in high school as it can give them a head start on their career.
“It’s kind of an immediate gratification thing. They don’t have to go to a four year college. I was in high school when I got my license at Tech. If they know that’s what they want to do, you can get a jumpstart. I started so early from high school I was able to do a lot of things with hair product companies, do a lot of travel, you know that stuff just kind of kick starts you into a solid career,” Evans said.
After high school, Stader plans to go onto college to get her business degree and open her own business where she will do makeup for special events. Stader believes the professional experiences that she has had through the cosmetology program have been a very valuable asset to her future career. She loves being able make a product that she is proud of.
“It’s the best feeling. I get everyday ‘I’m so proud of you’ from my parents. I get so many compliments on my makeup. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel confident in my work,” Stader said.