As she stepped into the room, full of Paul Mitchell applicants, Hayley Holland’s mood instantly dampened. As she scanned the room, she saw over 200 girls trying to fill the mere 18 slots in the class, and she was crushed.
With little hope left, she submitted her application video. After waiting, she received word that she’d made it through the first round.
“It felt truly unreal. I was shaking and crying,” Holland said. “It was definitely more real after I got through the first phase. I was super excited. It felt like a dream come true.”
Holland has developed her passion for cosmetology at Paul Mitchell through the C9 program. She’s been in the program for almost two years, and after graduation, she hopes to one day open her own salon.
As a child, Holland was always interested in the idea of doing hair. Her mother would take her to Paul Mitchell to get her hair done, and she was exposed to the passion the stylists possessed and how many hours they put in.
During middle school, she started to notice the process and the different aspects of cosmetics that intrigued her, mainly hair. She started to love the idea of doing something with so much depth to it.
“It’s a hard and lengthy process, but it’s also such a creative process,” Holland said. “It intrigued me (as) I’ve always been into the idea of doing hair and makeup.”
After getting into the program, she started figuring out the routine set in place. On Monday, she learns new techniques, and during the rest of the week, she works on clients or does mannequin work.
If she doesn’t have a client, she has a certain amount of styles to do on a mannequin head. She can submit these for progress towards her course completion.
“On Monday, we have a day called theory, (and) that’s when we learn about types of hair, color theory or how to do foils,” Holland said.
Even with all of the passion she has, there are still some setbacks. Holland says it’s a long and unmotivating process that can put you down. To deal with these obstacles, she thinks back to why she started in the first place and all of the things she enjoys about the process.
“When you see girls that get ahead of you or you feel that you aren’t progressing that well, you have to go back to that core and ask yourself ‘Why do I love doing hair?’” Holland said.
Holland’s love for cosmetology is bringing her closer to her friends in the course. They bond over hair and push each other to do better.
Over the years, her friends have noticed her progress and can see that she loves doing hair.
“She’s definitely gotten a lot better,” Holland’s friend, junior Vanessa Zarate said. “She’s really good at what she does. She’s very passionate about it.”
In the near future, Holland hopes to have her own suite, which is a room that you rent monthly, so she can run her own hair salon there.
In the distant future, she hopes to start her own line of extensions or maybe even run her own salon.
Currently, she’s just happy doing hair with her friends at Paul Mitchell.
“They all have the same passion that you have,” Holland said. “It’s great building connection and building skill with your best friends.”
