Salon Success Academy Gave Her a Second Chance for Success

July ’14

Ashlie Huffred understands now that she wasn’t taking her education seriously enough and that her school was right to ask her to leave. But when she asked the people at Salon Success Academy, “can I please come back,” they took a chance that she would be ready to learn the second time around.

“I was just too young,” said Ashlie. “I was actually asked to leave for a few months to decide if beauty school was right for me. Then, when I was ready to take things more seriously I asked if I could come back.”

Although Salon Success Academy let her reenter the cosmetology program, Ashlie was still worried that she had let too much time pass and that she wouldn’t be truly ready when it came time to take the California State Board of Cosmetology Exam. She wasn’t sure of her own abilities and didn’t know just how much the instructors at Salon Success Academy would be able to help her.

“They were great,” said Ashlie. “They were cosmetology instructors but also life coaches.”

Ashlie loved her time at Salon Success Academy. The instructors helped her hone her skills so she was able to mix her own personal creativity and artistry with the science of giving structured haircuts. She also learned real-world skills by working in the school’s high-end salon. Ashlie says when she got her first job as an assistant for a Paul Mitchell PAC team she felt really well-prepared because Salon Success Academy had given her realistic expectations about what it would be like to work in cosmetology.

“There, I got a taste for what the industry really had to offer to those who work hard,” said Ashlie. “In the last eight years, I have built an awesome clientele behind the chair, worked on stage for cut and color demos at hair shows, behind the stage for LA Fashion Week, on photo shoot sets, a reality TV show, and countless weddings.”

Today, Ashlie is a color educator and brand manager for the Barcelona company Lakme Color and she still works behind the chair at Salon Blu in Redlands in spite of the long commute from her San Diego home.

“After a while your clients become like family,” explained Ashlie. “I can’t leave them.”

Ashlie loves what she does for a living and she’s thankful for everyone who helped her at Salon Success Academy.

“If the instructors at Salon Success hadn’t believed in me and pushed me to achieve, I don’t know what would have come of my education and career,” said Ashlie. “I am so thankful for what I was given… a second chance.”

Sassoon Event Draws Huge Crowd

Salon Success Academy’s live hair cutting demonstration held on July 21st was a great success. The demonstration was performed by legendary Sassoon hair stylist Cole Thompson and was made possible through Salon Success Academy’s exclusive partnership with Sassoon. It included a demo on a live model, followed by a question and answer session. Attendees got to ask Cole about the Sassoon proprietary ABC cutting methodologies and so much more. They also were able to talk with Salon Success Academy students and faculty and learn about the school and its programs.