Continuing her insightful monthly look at the tasks and activities given to school students, ARROJO Cosmetology educator, Laura Martin, centers April’s excellent bulletin on the students’ fabulous work at fashion shows; and offers a sneak peek into the mindset and motivations of some of our newest undergraduates.

Every month at ARROJO Cosmetology we focus on strengthening our students foundational skills and nourishing their creativity. April brought us the exciting opportunity to participate in two major fashion shows on college campuses right here in Manhattan.

The Annual Fashion Show at LIM College brings together student designers, models, coordinators, and promotion staff for a truly impressive, double runway event. This year, students from three ARROJO Cosmetology classes styled 40 models for a show featuring Egyptian themed hair and makeup. Some of these students have been doing hair for less than three months, but all of the models looked professional and polished for the event’s 1,200 guests. (Check out the slideshow below for a behind-the-scenes look at the work of the students.)

On April 15^th, a talented group of students from Class 11 styled 16 models for Korean Culture Night, an event with over 300 attendees at NYU. Our students created youthful, fashion-forward, casual hairstyles to accentuate looks from Forever 21, Fly Society, and more.

It’s wonderful to see what our students can accomplish with the skills they learn here at ARROJO. As an educator, few things inspire me more than hearing the stories of our students. We started two new classes in April, a part time and a full time class; both are full of diverse and passionate aspiring stylists. Here are a few of their stories…

George comes to ARROJO’s class 13 after retiring from a 20-year career as a police officer.  He’s passionate about learning hairstyling from the highly skilled team at ARROJO. “I’m interested in razor-cutting. I like the idea of taking the classics and making them fresh,” he says. George describes his style as clean, trendy, classic, eclectic, and fashionable. He was drawn to ARROJO’s professionalism and modern fashion-forward approach. His role models are Trevor Sorbie, and Nick Arrojo. Both are industry greats known for their creative knowledge and business savvy. George is passionate about hairstyling and always has been. “It satisfies my creativity and I really enjoy making other people feel good.”

Bianca came to ARROJO after a bad experience at another cosmetology school. “When I came to ARROJO I felt immediately inspired by the passion of the students and staff. I knew this was the right place for me,” she says. Bianca has worked for years as a makeup artist for movies and television shows. Some of her career credits include Baywatch and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Her aesthetic is eclectic and vintage driven. Her style icon is Pat McGrath, the British makeup artist famous for applying hand-made makeup directly with her fingers. She’s excited about her future and excited about learning creative and editorial styling. “I can’t wait to see where I am two years from now,” she says.

Stacey was a successful attorney for 12 years before she decided to change careers and become a stylist. “When you do something you don’t love, you die a little bit each day,” she says. Last year, while reading a book by Paul Coelho, she came across a story about Paul’s decision to become a writer. In the story, he says, ‘If I see a white feather today, that is a sign that God is giving me that I have to write a new book.’ Later that day, he found a white feather in a shop window and began writing. Stacey remembers this story well because, one evening, after a particularly long day at the office, she was sitting at home thinking about how she had always wanted to pursue a career as a hairstylist. Then, “a white feather came floating past my window. It literally just fell out of the sky and I knew it was time to pursue my dream.”

As an educator I am constantly inspired by my students enthusiasm and creativity. Come back next month for another update on the happenings at ARROJO Cosmetology. See you then! –– Laura Martin (ARROJO Cosmetology Educator)

(To open a slideshow window featuring behind-the-scenes images from the fashion shows noted in this blog, click any image. To move to the next image in the series, click the right-hand-side of the image window.)

Tags: Educators, Enrollment, Fashion, Inspiration, Part-Time curriculum, Student

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 10th, 2011 at 3:53 pm and is filed under Careers, Educators, Enrollment Info, Further Education, Nick Arrojo, Students' View, Success Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.