There are still a couple of months before graduation, but four seniors at the Ashtabula County Technical & Career Campus (A-Tech) already have a competitive advantage for their careers.
Cosmetology students Stella Heath, Alexus Hill, Sarah Moore, and Rachael Taylor recently passed their State Board of Cosmetology exams and are now licensed cosmetologists.
“I’m really excited because I already work at a salon. This will give me more opportunities,” said Heath, who is employed at Master Cuts in Ashtabula.
“I’m really excited. It makes me feel more like an adult. I’m ahead of everybody in my class at my home school,” said Taylor, who is already employed at both SmartStyle in Ashtabula and The Lakehouse Inn Spa at Geneva-on-the-Lake.
Moore has been working at La Royale Salon in Orwell. She says earning her license gives her confidence. “I’m very excited. I knew I could do this. It means that I can complete anything,” she said.
The students prepared for the rigorous exam by completing the mandatory hours through work in their classroom and lab at A-Tech under the guidance of instructors Tracy Sprague and Kim Hess. The school arranged for a van to take the students to Columbus to take the exam.
"The ultimate goal of the program is to be educated so you can pass the state board exam and go to work right out of high school," says Hess, A-Tech cosmetology junior-year instructor. "We prepare them for the board exam and also for the salon floor."
When the news of the girls earning their licenses posted on the A-Tech Facebook page, local business owners and managers were offering job interviews to the four girls.
Sprague, the A-Tech cosmetology senior-year instructor said, “I’m super proud of them. They were diligent in their studies. They deserve it.”