On Monday morning, two students shuffled out of Juneau\u2019s standard drizzle and into the Alaska Academy of Advanced Cosmetology to start another day of school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI struggled with skin (issues) in middle school, so I wanted to be one of those people who helps others with their skin issues,\u201d student Jordan Harris said, inside the school\u2019s bright red building on Industrial Boulevard. \u201cI\u2019m one of those before and after people, so for hair, I like to make (people) feel beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris is dually enrolled in both the esthetics and hairdressing courses at the academy, which is the only state accredited cosmetology school in Southeast Alaska. She\u2019s there five days a week, 10 hours a day, and is one of the school\u2019s six students.<\/p>\n
Come October 2017, the school will probably see an increase in enrollment. That\u2019s because it\u2019s in the process of becoming accreddited through the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCAS). When that happens, students will be able to apply for federal funding, such as the Pell Grant or a student loan, which will make the school a more financially feasible option for more students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019m up against is funding,\u201d Kimberly Savland, owner and primary instructor of the academy, said. \u201cThe only way we\u2019re going to be able to give high quality education and to align it is to go for the federal funding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Savland founded the academy last fall. She invested thousands of dollars to do so; she also left her home of Hoonah to get the school started, something that was not easy for her to do. And now she works long days, usually 12 hours.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s worth it for her, she said, if she can give others the same opportunity she did \u2014 to receive a cosmetology license with help of a federal post-secondary education loan and to pursue a career in cosmetology.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I think is important, too, is entry-level jobs into our industry,\u201d she said. \u201c\u2026 Students in our industry have such a high default rate \u2014 if we do not give them an entry-level job, say in manicure pedicuring, and show an ability to benefit in our industry, they will not be able to get a ticket to go into hairdressing and barbering and esthetics.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she was in her 20s in 1995, Savland opened a cosmetology school in Juneau. But she said she was too young and it just wasn\u2019t the right time, and she closed it shortly afterward in 1997. (Although it should be noted that many of her students went on to have successful careers, such as Sandra Brown, the owner of Salon 2211.)<\/p>\n
This time is different, and receiving federal accreditation is key, she said. She\u2019s been working on receiving the accreditation since last October, and has attended NACCAS workshops on national standards of developing curriculum and running a cosmetology school. Before she completes her last phase of accreditation, she wants to be situated to able to increase class sizes, which means hiring other instructors and maybe even moving to a bigger facility. Already she has been working with the Alaska Club to teach massage classes at their facilities.<\/p>\n
And, hopefully, it will make the school more affordable for its students. Right now, it would cost close to $50,000 to complete all of the academy\u2019s offered courses. The advanced manicuring 250-hour course alone costs $5,000, which is after Savland lowered the cost.<\/p>\n
As a student, Harris is studying hard, trying to learn all of the bones and muscles in the human face for an esthics license.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see it as something that doctors go to school for years to learn and we\u2019re trying to learn it in a few months but just the basics of it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to know general anatomy, the structures of hair growth,\u201d added Jamiann Hasselquist, who is studying for her hairdressing and instructor license.<\/p>\n
Hasselquist never thought she wanted to become a manicurist, but after being unhappy in several administrative positions, she was open to Savland\u2019s suggestion of pursuing a manicurist license. Hasselquist told Savland she didn\u2019t want to wash feet, but she still went to Anchorage to pursue a manicurist license (before the Juneau school opened). While there, she discovered she enjoyed doing pedicures, especially medical grade.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone comes in with issues with the health of their feet, they\u2019ve got peeling between the toes or cracked heels or extra thick nails or have some fungal issues, I actually like dealing with those more,\u201d Hasselquist said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s satisfying, she said, to get people who were uncomfortable with the appearance of their feet and hid them in close-toed shoes to begin to feel better and start wearing sandals due to her work.<\/p>\n
Harris wants to open her own salon after working at someone else\u2019s for a time. Hasselquist has kicked around that idea, but is also considering becoming one of the instructors Savland is looking for to teach incoming students.<\/p>\n
Savland said she\u2019s looking for instructors who are willing to help students discover within themselves \u201cthe artist behind the chair,\u201d the same that she has been inspiring in her current students.<\/p>\n
For more information on how to apply to the academy, or to set up a salon appointment, visit their website at theviewspa.com\/academy.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Contact Clara Miller at 523-2243 or at clara.miller@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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