Believe in Your Self(ie)

At one point or another, we all struggle with self-confidence while going after our goals. We may question our capability or if we are making the right decision for our future.

What we fail to realize, is that believing in ourselves is the first step to success. We talked with three students at Mason Anthony School of Cosmetology through their journey of gaining self-confidence and success while chasing their dreams.

Meet Tiana – Tiana is nearing her graduation date for the Mason Anthony Manicuring Program and has really excelled in nail services such as gels and acrylics. But she wasn’t always so confident.

“Leaving my current field of study and the security of a 9-5 job made me nervous. I wasn’t sure if this was the right move for myself and my family because it was completely starting over.”
However, once she started excelling in the practical skills, everything changed.

“I started to believe I could really do this in the real world. Plus, the encouragement from my instructors, classmates, and staff really helped.”

Tiana is thrilled that she took the leap of faith and decided to pursue Manicuring school.

“After feeling nervous and unsure, I finally feel happy and free: Happy because I am doing something I love, and free because I now hold my future in my own hands.”

Meet Nasim– Nasim is one of our Advanced Cosmetology students completing the 1800-hour program that covers hair, skin, and nails. When Nasim first enrolled at Mason Anthony, she admits she did not know English very well.

“The Cosmetology terms were difficult for me to understand. Some of the bigger words required me to translate them to understand. But I knew this is what I want to do so I kept at it and things got easier.”

Nasim found encouragement from her teachers and peers, who helped her to have faith in herself and her abilities.

“My instructor, Anna, encouraged me every day with a smile, letting me know I could do this. I made new friends, especially my best friend Kathleen who works on things with me at school. I learned from her to never give up and to keep working hard.”

Nasim now believes in herself and her abilities in hair, skin, and nails, and feels confident about her future in the industry.
“I know that I can pass my State Board exam and become a licensed Cosmetologist. I know that I can do anything.”

Meet Karlyn – Karlyn is one of our Esthetics students who recently made a big change from being a stay at home mom to attending school 24 hours a week.

Karlyn says, “I was nervous about making such a big investment and commitment and not knowing if I’d really like it or not.”

However, after attending, she has come to really enjoy it.

“I’m really happy that I followed through with attending school because it’s been fun and I’m learning a lot! I’m excited to help others learn more about taking care of their skin as well. There are also many possibilities regarding employment.”

So how did Karlyn find the courage to embark on her journey?

“I’ve always believed that I could do whatever I set my mind to! I try to instill this into my children as well. My family has been very supportive and that means the world to me. It fuels me to make sure I finish school and achieve the goals I’ve set for myself. My oldest daughter is very much into beauty and fashion so her cheering me on gives me an extra push! (plus, she’s waiting for me to finish so I can do her lashes. Lol!) Having the support system that I do keeps me going!”

Even if the first step is scary, we encourage students to always believe in themselves and work towards