Our Incredible Alumni: Mandy Porter

Recently, we had the opportunity to get to know another one of the incredibly talented alumni from Hair Professionals Career College, Mandy Porter. Mandy has an amazing story because her journey through the world of beauty has taken her through many different experiences that have helped to build her into the successful business owner that she is today. We hope her story can inspire you like it inspired us!

Cosmetology: Getting Started

Mandy wasn’t like the many people who enrolled in cosmetology school right after high school, she actually started her career as a model. She used to model hair for beauty shows and she even worked with Redken frequently. What set her apart from different models was the attention she paid to her hair stylist, and how interested she was in the process. Hair was something she was always interested in, but didn’t consider it as a career until she was 30 years old. It was at that time that she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in cosmetology because it could help provide her with a more stable career and opportunities to do something she loved.

Finding The Right Beauty School

Mandy’s original leap into the world of cosmetology wasn’t actually done at Hair Professionals. She came to dislike the school she started at in just a couple months, because she felt like she was only learning the basics. They weren’t providing the opportunity to learn anything new or innovative. To her, the school was good for licensing as a cosmetologist and nothing else. She left that school and started visiting other schools to find one that could help her license and teach her the cutting edge cosmetology practices at the same time. That’s when she found Hair Professionals Career College.

Hair Pros turned out to be the perfect fit for Mandy. She felt like she was finally given the ability to explore her creative side and learn at her own pace.

Hair Professionals is a great school with great instructors. They allowed me to have my own creativity and be my own person. They went above and beyond, and I really like that about the school. There was that critical freedom to be creative.

The freedom for students to explore their passions and their dreams is extremely important to the staff at Hair Pros, so we’re thrilled to hear that Mandy felt that for herself! During her time at Hair Pros she worked hard and pushed herself to learn as much as possible, and it looks like she’s reaping the rewards of her effort.

Life After Beauty School

Mandy got right to work trying different roles in the beauty industry after finishing beauty school. She started out working at Ulta Beauty, and from there went to work in a salon. She also tried working in a barbershop providing mens haircuts, and was even a brand manager for Amika. None of these places resonated as much with Mandy because she was most passionate about providing hair coloring and styling services for her clients.

It wasn’t until later that a friend of hers asked if she would like to work at the salon that she owned named Salon1Studio, and after some consideration, Mandy started working there. The friends that owned the salon eventually decided that they wanted to move to another state, so they passed the salon on to Mandy and her husband for them to take over! Mandy has enjoyed co-owning the salon because it allows her to expand her opportunities while still having the opportunity to work with hair.

Visit the Salon1Studio Facebook page to keep up on all the latest from Mandy and her business!

Advice For Future Students

Mandy has worked in many different places and has even visited multiple beauty schools, so her advice for future beauty school students was important to us:

”Interview your beauty schools and visit them. You’re essentially employing them to teach you what you’re supposed to know. Make sure it’s the right fit for you.

Don’t. Get. Discouraged. The beauty industry can be hard, but there are so many people making it work. Before you commit, make sure beauty is something you really want to do. I love doing hair. I am passionate about what I do. For anyone considering cosmetology, always stay educated after you complete your program. Learning new techniques and services can prevent your career from stagnating.”

Mandy’s can-do attitude and desire to always be learning will serve her well in her career, and that’s the sort of spirit that we want our students to have!

Learn at Hair Professionals

Have you made the decision to embrace your love of beauty? Get your start in cosmetology, esthetics, or nail technology at Hair Professionals Career College. Contact us to learn more about how our education can help you prepare for your future!