“My goal is to have my own beauty salon one day. I’ve worked so hard to get this license.”
Juana Gonzalez graduated from Legacy of Educational Excellence (LEE) High School in May. Just a few months later, she earned her Texas Cosmetology License. She’s the first to do so in program history.
Cosmetology is a four-year Career and Technical Education (CTE) course offered at LEE. The program is immersive. Students have access to an industry-level salon and all the products and tools that come with it. Juana learned everything from the history of cosmetics and makeup to how to properly hold scissors and communicate with clients.
Students must log 1,000 hours of practice before they can take their certification exam, which NEISD pays for. Salon Nights played a key role in helping Juana meet that goal, especially after the pandemic disrupted much of the hands-on elements required for the course.
“I came to every salon night to pick up hours,” said Juana. “I would invite my own clients to come in and get a haircut and book appointments from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. I think getting to work at Salon Nights will help me run my own salon one day.”
Juana is well on her way to achieving her dream of opening her own salon. Now that she has her license, she’s interviewing at salons while juggling barber school and Medical Assisting courses at San Antonio Community College.
Ashley Pierson has been the Cosmetology Instructor at LEE since it reemerged nearly five years ago. She says the program doesn’t just set students up for success in an in-demand industry – it also saves them money where it counts.
“This saves them over $20,000 in what usually is the cost of beauty school. So, they get that under five hundred dollars, which is amazing,” said Pierson.
