Everyone has a go to nail tech or barber, and previously LACES students didn’t have to look far for one. For years, students at LACES have relied on their peers for a new set or a fresh cut. Chris Mendez gave countless fades for school photos and Mellissa Juarez gave fresh sets for dances. Until their graduation last year, these two shaped the culture on campus.
With Juarez and Mendez both graduated, this leaves an empty space for some new students to fill. They may not be running official businesses yet, but Sarah Vogel and Kenneth Lopez have shared their excitement with posts over Instagram and shout-outs from friends. These students are now building a name for themselves in their respectable fields.
For Vogel, a sophomore at LACES, she started doing nails as a way to save money.
“I have been getting my nails done for a long time and then I wanted to not have to
pay for it anymore cause it got really expensive,” said Vogel.
It began just for herself but after some trial and error she expanded to other people.
“At first, they did not turn out great. But then after, the third time, they started to look a lot better. So then I was like if I keep going at this and practicing, then I think it’d look pretty good,” said Vogel.
Since Juarez, the last LACES nail tech, left last year, Vogel decided to fill in the space.
“I wanted to put myself out there to see if anyone else wanted their nails done, because I knew Melissa graduated,” said Vogel.
She has posted her work online and shared it with her classmates. She is looking forward to new business this coming school year.
“If people did book with me, I would not charge that much. Like, max 15,” said Vogel.
For junior Kenneth Lopez, his passion for cutting hair started out of boredom.
“I was bored at home, and I was broke. I had no money and I thought, like, I don’t want to get a real job. So I might as well learn how to cut hair,” said Lopez
After practicing on his cousin Dante Hernandez for three months he felt confident in his work and started branching out to people outside his family. For Kenneth, cutting hair is more about the community and interacting with his customers than the actual hair-cutting.
“My favorite parts about cutting hair are spending time with my friends, being there, asking them questions about their life and how they’re doing, [and] seeing their smile after the final result,” said Lopez.
He doesn’t plan on making a career out of this but likes giving haircuts for “the low.” Not only does he do haircuts but is planning on expanding with piercings as well.
Senior Vander Delman also began his journey in cutting hair in an unexpected way, when his friend randomly asked for Delman to cut his hair.
“My friend Shayaan just came up to me. He was just like, ‘You want to cut my hair?’ I had never done anything before. So I was just like, ‘alright, if he’s letting me.’ I messed him up really bad,” said Delman.
After the first cut, he was hooked.
“But I was like damn, I kind of enjoy this, so I just kept doing it,” said Delman.
For him, cutting hair is about the connections as well.
“A lot of the people that hit me up are not my immediate friends but still friends with mine. So it’s just an excuse to be chill with them and hang out afterwards,” said Delman.
Unlike Vogel and Lopez, Delman sees a future in this and something that is more than just a hobby.
“It’s possible that in the future I’m in a finance job and I’m like ‘forget this’, and I’ll just drop that and be a barber. I could definitely see that actually happening,” said Delman
The known nail tech and barber may have left LACES, but the fresh nails and cuts never really went away. With more students deciding to step up, LACES students have normalized self-made barbers and nail techs who influence creativity on each year.
