High school cosmetology program giving local students jobs opportunities after graduation
Athena Jreij
PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) — A vocational training program at DSUSD and CVUSD is giving local high schoolers hands on cosmetology and barber experience, completely tuition free.
At Elite Cosmetology School in Palm Desert, 11th and 12th grade students are taking Career Technical Education (CTE) courses during school hours, with the chance to earn up 1,000 hours by the time they graduate and the opportunity to get a job right out of graduation.
According to salon owners, students attend class in the morning, then attend cosmetology courses from 1 to 3 p.m. daily. The tuition, study materials, and cost to take state board exams are financed by the district.
The program provides students with the skills, training, and licensure preparation needed to enter the workforce immediately after graduation, something officials say is a rare chance to earn a professional license before receiving their high school diploma.
“They are learning life skills. They’re learning technical skills. They’re able to be creative and really explore their own talents in a very, very forgiving and safe environment,” Jodi Hussey with Elite Cosmetology School said.
Hussey says the program has resonated with those who don’t see themselves on a traditional college path.
“The high school students that are coming through our programs, they are not all college bound. They also need to have careers. They are also very young and sometimes supporting other family members. So the students that come in here, they do blossom.”
She says it’s opened students minds to different careers in the industry.
“It’s fun. You’re not stuck behind a computer, sitting in a chair all day saying, I can only make ‘X’ amount of dollars no matter how hard I work. This is an industry where it’s limitless, and people are starting to realize trades in general are definitely supporting families and they’re doing it a lot quicker than for your college,” Hussey said.
Dax Hussey, a program educator, says students who do participate have been more likely to graduate.
“Their graduation rates have gone up tremendously by having programs like these and especially like ours where they can interact in a professional setting. We have a student salon floor where they essentially start taking clients while they’re in school, and it really prepares them.”
For Vanessa Acevedo, a former student in the program and now instructor, it’s opened the door to new passions like teaching.
“Being able to have a career as soon as I get out of high school was definitely just such an amazing opportunity. As a prior student from the high school program, I almost got to see a lot of myself in a lot of the kids, and that definitely just helped me out in so many ways with understanding what a lot of these kids are going through,” Acevedo said.
For students who are learning new skills everyday, they say it’s something they’ll take with them no matter what their future career is.
“I do want to become a dermatologist and just basing off this I’m already getting a head start and everything,” Briana Santamaria, a local student said.
Elite Cosmetology says they hope to expand into Palm Springs Unified School District soon, and continue to bring expanded career opportunities to local students.
For more information on the CTE courses offered in the Valley, visit: https://www.dsusd.us/departments/educational_services/college-career/cte/summit_cte