Gwendalyn Simons

From a young age anything beauty felt like the only thing in the world that brought peace to me, the only thing that could give me comfort. I grew up with a rough family life, lots of fights, tons of drama and financial disadvantages. I have six sisters and one brother so I always tend to lean into the “girlier activities”.

So why cosmetology? After getting asked this question time after time I think I've finally thought it through enough to pinpoint when this career became significant to me. I was 8 years old watching my mom french braid my sister Andie's hair. I wanted to do it so badly but I couldn't quite figure it out. I had little fingers and I could barely hold any of the hair but that didn’t stop me from trying. I specifically remember one day that Andie and I were sitting in the kitchen for probably two hours. She just sat there while I braided her hair over and over. After hours of effort, I finally got it. It was loose and it was messy but it was a french braid and I created it. Once you learn the basics, you can always improve on technique and skill.

I felt so proud that I could finally do a french braid, and from this point on I was just so eager to learn anything and everything hair. I didn’t realize it at the time but it wasn’t only hair that sparked my interest. I loved fun eyeshadow, sparkly lipgloss and nail polish. I painted my nails 3 times each week.

From the day I learned the french braid to now I watched youtube video after youtube video to learn any braid I could find. It went from fishtails, to chinese knot braids, to four strand braids, dutch braids, and rope braids. every time I found and learned a new braid, I was just as excited as the first time I French braided my sisters hair.t time I French braided my sisters hair. To this day there is still nothing more satisfying to me than figuring out a new cosmetology strategy or skill. Cosmetology is a beautiful art that I have had the absolute privilege of falling in love with. It is a career I hope to continue to pursue, and an art I strive to master.