Leadership is Key

Leadership is Key

Ciao bella,

There are some moments in your life that you can remember forever. Another one of those moments happened when I was invited to be a member on The Advisory Board of The Cosmetology/Barbering course at The Greater Lawrence Technical School in Andover. Bring on the ideas and experience of a 3rd generation Cosmetologist! Mom and Nana would be proud! I was so excited to participate in this honor of being chosen by colleagues to be a part of GLTS's future with its students.

I toured the Cosmetology School with a teacher Linda M. whom I worked with many moons ago at her salon "Champagne." Absolute joy!

Those were the days my friend of enjoying a fun job, making lots of cash, loving your craft of making people feel and look great! The many memories of my Cosmetology School days rushed in. Our "silent dolls", the practice manikin heads were plentiful here at the school with some pretty amazing braids and styles. Bravo Linda! You're teaching them well. Of course, practice on the silent dolls is great for learning, however, it is nothing to it compared to getting on the floor in a real, live salon, dealing with real, live people who talk! During our first meeting all of us professionals were trying to explain that to a student who passed her cosmetology test recently. Congrats! However it's the real world that counts. Besides once you receive your license after school in Massachusetts, it's only a permit to work in a salon. Then after working, getting experience for 2 years you will receive your Class 1 Cosmetologist License that allows you to open your own salon. It's a big deal! Two years is long for some.

I was stunned to see the cosmetology textbook quadrupled in size compared to mine back in the '70s. You could barely pick it up! Learn well my future fellow colleagues.

I really feel like I can give some good advice to the committee and recommend a "Shadow" program that was brought up at the meeting. A program that would encourage students to interact in salons, experience the real world and at the same time achieve the confidence they need to succeed. I've seen the program nourish and teach the passion I hold dear with tremendous success!

Go forth all of you future stylists and curl it and swirl it!

Buona giornata and God bless the United States of America!

--Mary N. DiZazzo-Trumbull

Read prior weeks' "All That Zazz" columns at www.allthatzazz.com. Mary is a third-generation cosmetologist and a Massachusetts distributor of Kosmea brand rose hip oil products. She may be contacted at (978) 470-8183 or mary@mary4nails.com.