Finishing School Against All Odds

Make a Difference in Someone's Life!

A Beautiful Outlook

We've been telling you what a smart career choice cosmetology is: we've touted the stability, the creativity, the flexibility, the rewards, the fun, and the income potential. Turns out, you don't have to take just our word for it - maybe the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) can help convince you! According to the BLS' Occupational Outlook for 2010 - 2011 ,  "Overall employment of barbers, cosmetologists, and other personal appearance workers is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations." The report also highlighted the flexible schedules enjoyed by people in our industry.

What does that really mean? According to the BLS, it means that approximately 165,000 NEW JOBS will be created for cosmetologists in the next eight years. That's more than 20,000 new jobs being created each year - not including the jobs that will open up to replace cosmetologists who are retiring or changing careers.  

Why are jobs in this industry growing so rapidly? The BLS says that the increase in population will lead to greater demand for hair services. Also, "the demand for hair coloring and other advanced hair treatments has increased in recent years, particularly among baby boomers and young people. This trend is expected to continue..." which leads to a need for more qualified cosmetologists. So - not only does everyone need to get haircuts, but with everyone from age 16 to 86 getting their hair colored, lots of talented stylists are needed to beautify the world! Why not you?

You Can Do It!
Tips from a Regency Student on Making School a Reality  

As you think about starting school, you're probably trying to figure out how you're going to fit it into your life. Work schedules, family demands, transportation or health concerns - these can feel like insurmountable obstacles to overcome, but believe us...you can do it! Just ask Regency student Suzanne Faler.  

Why Suzanne? Read on and you'll understand. She's been through a lot of ups and downs while she was a student at Regency - even having to withdraw from school twice. But through it all, Suzanne knew that she would finish...and almost a year to the day after she had planned, she is soon to be a proud Regency graduate!  

When she decided to go to cosmetology school, the first issue Suzanne had to address was childcare. Suzanne and her husband have three children, one with special needs. One or the other needed to be home at any given time. She enrolled part-time so that she could be home with her kids during the day and her husband was home in the evenings.

Shortly after starting school, Suzanne had a major medical scare and was hospitalized. She ended up having to withdraw from school for six months to take care of her health. She left on good terms and kept in regular communication with her advisor at Regency so when she was ready, she returned to school - only now, she was full-time because her husband was working night-shift. End of story, right? Not so fast...  

"Just a few weeks after I started back, my husband got a job offer that we couldn't refuse - in another city!", says Suzanne. "Yep, we had to relocate. So, once again, I had to withdraw from school to get my family settled in our new town." Were Suzanne's dreams lost? "Not at all - I'm no quitter! Fortunately, we were in another city with a Regency campus. So once again, I was able to re-start at the new campus and pick up where I left off."  

Hours away from finishing the program, another health scare hit Suzanne's family when her husband suffered a minor heart attack. Thankfully, he is okay and is expected to fully recover - but Suzanne's graduation was postponed so she could be there for her husband.

Two health scares, one relocation and two Regency campuses later, Suzanne completed her final instructional hours on September 18.  "Like I said, I'm no quitter!" seems like an understatement! Suzanne shows us that communication is key. By staying in regular communication with Regency and making sure she turned in all required paperwork, she ensured that she stayed in good standing. Keeping the lines of communication open with school and communicating with her family about her needs is what got her through the program successfully.  

So, what’s next for Suzanne (other than finishing up the program)? "I want to work in a salon for a few years and then go back to school to get my educator license." And why not? Who better to teach future cosmetologists about determination and success than someone who overcame so much in her own life to reach her goals? Thank you Suzanne, for sharing your story!

Make a Difference in Someone's Life  

There are so many great things about working in the beauty industry, not the least of which is the ability to make people feel great. A cosmetologists' reach can extend far beyond the client sitting in their chair! If you've ever helped someone in need or pitched in to help your community, you know how good it feels to know that you've made a difference.   

The students at Regency's Cypresswood campus know firsthand how good it feels to lend a hand. This campus has coordinated several fundraisers to support local shelters in the Houston area. Most recently, the students collected school supplies to give children who live in a nearby battered women's shelter. Each year, the shelter distributes new backpacks and school supplies to children who have witnessed or experienced sexual abuse or domestic violence. These children usually arrive at the shelter with only the clothes on their backs.  

According to campus manager Sabrina Miller, "At the Regency Cypresswood campus, we have spent time discussing what we are grateful for in our individual lives.  Once we realized how blessed we are to be in an industry that we adore, we knew we needed to give back to those who were not as fortunate."  

So the project began. What started off as a couple of packs of pencils, grew into hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies.  By the time school started, the Cypresswood campus had collected enough school supplies to send many deserving children to school with a fresh start.   

Sabrina said it best: "Though we will never know the exact children who were helped, our hearts are full knowing that we helped struggling children maintain a sense of normalcy as they began a new chapter in their lives."