Capitol School

May 6th, 2012

tchampion — Mon, 07 May 2012 02:16:19 +0000

Have you guys missed me? Don’t answer that. Time has LITERALLY been flying. When I think back to 8 weeks ago when I was a scared little newbie, it’s hard to believe I’d be where I am now. Which is why I want all of you that are about to do Freshman Testing, to think PAST the next 5 days. You guys are going to want to curl up in a little ball on the floor at 5pm every day this week. I’m not gonna lie, this week will be one of the worst. But if you think about it- the worst POSSIBLE thing that could happen? You redo freshman class. Everything that is happening right now is going to shape you into the cosmetologist you’ll become so take it all in stride. Do your best and seriously; don’t second guess yourself. You’ve only been doing this for 8 weeks, but you’ve been doing it for 8 weeks longer than the next group of freshman! You know who you are and how you work so just do it! Don’t look around the room when you’re finished and size up everyone else’s manikins. Don’t talk about your classmates on your breaks. This is a big incredibly stressful week for everyone in the class- not JUST you. Keep being considerate and remember- you’re 7/8ths done. You’re really gonna let 1/8th of your freshman experience stress you out?

Happy Testing!

(If you need to cry in the bathroom, you know where to find me.)

-Teresa

April 13th, 2012

tchampion — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 06:13:29 +0000

When starting at Capitol there are a lot of things you expect. On the other hand, there are twice as many unexpected things. By far the most surprising thing I’ve faced thus far is the bond I’ve made with people outside of my class. Three people I absolutely adore graduated this week; one of them being one of my best, best friends. It’s so hard saying goodbye to the people you’ve begun to look up to, and even harder getting used to not seeing them around school anymore. Thank goodness for social media and the fact that staying in touch with people these days is 100 times easier than it was ten years ago. The fact that Montana, Willow, and Quinn are off to be amazing stylists makes me so proud to call them all my friends. You guys are all gonna do such great things and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

My heart and my congratulations go out to Montana(Kelsey), Quinn(Laura), and Willow(Alainna). I’m gonna miss you guys a lot. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me and my class and if you don’t come back to see us from time to time we’re gonna definitely bother you till you visit.

Who’s Next?

-Teresa

April 6th, 2012

tchampion — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 02:11:42 +0000

So I had a lot of friends and family anxiously awaiting the day when I would start on the floor and be able to do their hair. The weird thing about doing the hair of people you’re close with is you see them way more often than your regular clients. So let’s say your sister comes in and ends up not liking what you did to her hair. How would you handle that? (Leave comments with tips.) Luckily my friends and family have all loved what I’ve done for their hair. I will admit, I put a hole in my brothers haircut last week. It was our late night and I was doing clipper over comb to blend and my clippers just slid off the comb and took it a bit shorter on one tiny spot on the back of his head. His response was “I literally don’t think I’ve ever seen what the back of my head looks like so it’s fine!” Thank goodness for Miss Miller and her wonderful blending skills but that is still just a bad feeling. Your clients will always be your walking billboard and you clearly never want a single flaw on their head but that’s why we’re still students. And you know what I learned from that day? FOCUS. Even if you might be running a little bit behind, don’t sacrifice your skill to make yourself go faster than you should.

Till Next Time,

Teresa

March 25th, 2012

tchampion — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:09:30 +0000

First of all, HEY to all the new freshman. I still feel a little bit like a chicken with my head cut off on the floor so I feel like I haven’t even seen you guys yet. Feel free to add me on Facebook or something and if you have any questions you don’t want to post on here go ahead and message me! I’d love to help ya out.

Like I said, chicken with it’s head cut off. For those of you who don’t know anything about what it’s like in Freshman Training, you’re in a room for like 8 hours doing hair but on manikins. There are teachers around you at all times and it’s a fairly strict environment (as it should be) since there is a TON to learn in a short time. Once you get out on the floor you have way more freedom and it’s seriously the most fun I’ve ever had. I’ve been pretty busy so far with family and friends coming in to see me but I am not as far on my manikin work as some girls but I know I’ll be alright. I never am just sitting in the break room which lets me know I’m working really really hard.

On Friday we(Level 1) have class all day but usually half the day we just work on manikins. This Friday we had a guest speaker in class all day which is always nice to have a change of pace but it was a little bit hard to relate since we haven’t had too much experience with color yet. We learned more about one of our hair color lines, Wella. It was really hard for me to sit down all day when I’m used to running around doing different things but we are SO lucky to get to hear the knowledge from the guests Capitol sets up for us!

Make an appointment with me?

-Teresa

March 18th, 2012

tchampion — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:27:28 +0000

Alrighty ladies and gentleman! Tomorrow we welcome our new freshman class to Capitol! Honestly it feels like just yesterday when I was getting all nervous about my first day and that seems so silly now as I look back on it. Everyone gets nervous about starting a new adventure in their life so just remember everyone is feeling the same way you are. One thing my dad taught me when I was younger was to just look past whatever it is that’s making you nervous. Nervous about your first day? Think about tomorrow at 4 (or whatever time you get done) and you’re driving home and the day is already over. You can meet up with your boyfriend, mom, best friend, whoever and I can guarantee you won’t be saying “I had the worst first day.” You’ll probably be saying, “Today was a breeze, and I can’t wait to go back tomorrow!” I must still be in the Honeymoon Phase of school because every day I still look forward to going.

Tomorrow will just be my class working out on the floor and the new freshman class in their classroom so you really should NOT feel intimidated at all. If I don’t get to talk to you tomorrow, feel free to join me at lunch sometime or wave me down while I’m bopping around the floor!

This is the first day of the rest of your life, ENJOY IT.

Till next time,

-Teresa

March 9th, 2012

tchampion — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 23:02:40 +0000

Alright, bloggers. I’m officially a Level 1 Senior! I got my Certificate of Completion today and we all really enjoyed that! Just having that piece of paper gave us all a breath of fresh air. At lunch, Harper mentioned “I still feel like a Freshman…” In a way I think we all feel like freshman still because we’re starting something new and we feel uncomfortable and awkward about our place at school. Sutton made the point that once the new freshman class starts we will definitely feel like seniors..I can’t wait for that!

An internal battle I think we all had a little part of this week was being “the BEST”. The thing about Capitol is that everyone is good at something different, no one will be “the best” at everything. I keep putting “the best” in quotes because everyone is the best! We all have such good qualities that will make each of us great cosmetologists for different reasons. I really distinctly remember staying after class for a second around Week 5 and asking Mrs. Strong a little bit about testing because I was getting really nervous about it. She said, “First of all, never compare yourself to anyone else- because we won’t. We will only compare you to yourself.” This school seriously has the right idea. The instructors stay so positive and in the same way they would never tell someone they’re the worst(because that doesn’t exist), they’ll never tell someone they’re the best. I seriously want all of you, no matter if you go to Capitol, UNO, are some random person, are my sister, my best friend: do what YOU do. Never get caught up in making life into a competition to brag about. If you know who you are and what you’re doing then you’ve got the best kinda thing going anyway. Stay positive and ENJOY the day ahead of you; don’t stress out about what someone else is doing or saying because good days never last. And luckily, neither do bad days.

Keep smiling, ya’ll! You’re ALL “the BEST” in my eyes.

-Teresa

March 5, 2012

tchampion — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:35:12 +0000

Alright, I know everyone missed me, right?! Sorry about my short absence, but I really had to make those finals count! So right now we just started Week 9, which is SHADOW WEEK. And for those musical nerds out there who have seen Lion King(the Broadway musical not the Disney movie) the song “Shadow Land” has been stuck in my head all day. Anyone…?

So I had a few questions about the first day and I thought- give the people what they ask for! So since I’m no longer a freshman, I’ll share some freshman knowledge for the next class! First of all, dress code is strict. You have some leeway for the first week or so but it’s always better to just stick to the rules. On the first day I was super nervous and I wore a pair of black jeggings and a plain blue v-neck. I didn’t try to wear my trendiest clothes, I didn’t wake up six hours early to get ready, I was just myself. My number one advice about your clothes for day one is just wear clothes you can feel comfortable in. I can ALMOST guarantee no one will remember your outfit, but they will remember your overall first impression. Look good, feel good. Be nice to EVERYONE. The people you think you’d never get along with might become your best friends, but you should never go into a situation with the idea that you won’t get along with people.

I met up with my Mama for lunch on my first day cause I was used to hanging out with her all day so I really missed her and wanted to tell her about my day so far. A few girls brought their lunches, some went out for lunch. I really suggest if you don’t have other plans for lunch, ask one of the other girls to grab lunch with you or bring your lunch and eat in the break room with a new friend. You’ll feel a connection with them as “The Girl You Ate Lunch With”. It’ll make you feel a lot more comfortable knowing you have a friend in the class now.

Before you know it, you’ll be at week 9 like me and you’ll think- “Not too long ago I was worried about what I was going to wear or if the other girls will like me…” Think past it. You know who you are, and let your Freshman Family know who you are, too.

If you can’t find somewhere to sit on your first day, look for me. I’ll be your Lunch Friend.

I’ll be the one with “Teresa” on my name tag, probably saying the punch line of a stupid joke.

-Teresa

February 27th, 2012

tchampion — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 22:44:02 +0000

And so begins Week 8. And if you’re not aware, that means final week for the freshman. I believe in college they call it “dead week”. I’m not really sure cause when I was in college for a hot second I didn’t really umm…study very much. But now I finally understand why they call it that. And if you think hair school is easy first of all; you’re wrong there! Tests every day and there’s a lot on the line this week. We’ve been in this totally new world for 8 weeks learning something new practically every day and now we test on it. We have practical and written tests, which range from 30-120 questions depending on the subject.

A common problem I’ve seen is when the teachers come over and start watching you while you’re working, it seems like you totally forget what you’re doing. At lunch today we all laughed about it and felt relieved that we weren’t the alone in feeling that way.

So I’ve decided to disclose to you guys the cures to Week 8:

1. Eat protein for breakfast, carbs will just make you tired. (Thanks Mr. Mike )

2. As I always say, believe in yourself. If you think you’ll do badly you probably will.

3. SLEEP. Going out every night can wait, studying can’t. There WILL be more nights.

4. Dress well to test well.

5. Do your absolute best. If you can walk out of the classroom knowing you did your best, you’ll sleep well at night. (See Rule #3)

Till next time,

-Teresa

February 20th, 2012(Life of a Capitol Student)

tchampion — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:14:49 +0000

HOLY MOLY, GUYS. Sorry I’ve been away for a few days, it’s getting closer to testing out time which is super stressful so all I do is study and sleep. And eat, of course. Today we took our manicuring practical which basically just means we did a manicure and Miss Harvat and Ms Zomer graded them. Surprisingly, this is hardly the most exciting part of my day. Today we were SO lucky to get to have an hour long lunch!!! (Just kidding, that was NOT the best part either.)

The Aquage team came to visit us pups at Capitol and all I can say is WOW. Where do I even begin? First let me tell you when I was in high school my heart burned for this stuff. I always wanted to go to the shows, travel the US and share my knowledge; and I hoped one day I’d be doing the crazy stuff they do. Somewhere along the way I “grew up” which really means I lost sight of my dreams cause I figured they wouldn’t happen. Seeing these AMAZING artists in our very own building today reminded me that I still absolutely would love to be traveling like they do and I got SO much more pumped about this whole path I’m on which honestly I didn’t think that could happen.

Anywho, if you don’t know who Luis Alvarez is, first of all get out from under your rock. Second of all, GOOGLE HIM NOW. (Make sure you google Luis Alvarez Aquage or you’ll get articles about some physicist. Boring.) He’s a cofounder of Aquage; one of the greatest line of products to ever grace my head. Think if you got to meet a pro basketball player, football player, violinist, whatever your passion may be. That was my day today. Mind you, this is the first day of my 7th week. 7 WEEKS. That’s practically a blink in the eye of these people. I have my basics down but there’s so much you can do with that once you’ve got it down and they showed us a lot about that. I always look for a philosophical meaning in everything I do and today I learned a ton about hair, obviously, but I also realized that if they can reach their dreams why can’t I? Lame, right? Oh well! I went up to Luis and Shawna after the class and introduced myself and I’ll be honest, I’m going to email Luis the link to this blog because I can’t think of a reason not to!

The thing is if you don’t believe you can do it, who is supposed to believe in you? I came home, opened the door and said “Gee whiz guys I just had the best day EVER.” My little brother, bless his heart, wanted to hear about it. I told my dad all about it and his smile was so wide cause who doesn’t love seeing their daughter doing what they love and bursting at the seams to tell him all about it? (Hi Dad )

Sorry for the long post but this was definitely a day for the books!

Till next time,

Teresa

February 14, 2012 (Life of a Capitol Student)

tchampion — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:02:29 +0000

Well folks, it happened. My first straight up, rotten, no good day. I’m not gonna say it was all bad because most of it was really good, as usual. And this is weird for me cause I’m definitely not an emotional person nor someone to ever share my feelings but you wanna know what goes on in my day-to-day life or you wouldn’t be reading this…right? I absolutely adore my classmates. We are a super lively bunch and we always have tons of fun together! I definitely am a loud and expressive person, if you couldn’t already tell, and a few others in my class are as well. Sometimes we get a little bit out of hand and I’ll be honest and tell you I have been singled out outside of class for my talking. I was mortified after that happened because I didn’t want people to think I wasn’t taking this seriously. Since then, I’ve made a super conscious effort to not talk AT ALL between tasks. Today I realized just how distracting the talking is while I was doing my haircut. I was trying to focus and was feeling a little off kilter anyway and people in the room were done already; I all of the sudden felt rushed and nervous like everyone was waiting on me and I heard snippets of conversations all around me and when I got my cut checked it showed in my work that I wasn’t focused. I realized right then how distracting my talking has probably been to others in my class and felt my eyes instantly sting with tears and I couldn’t even explain why! I just went to the bathroom to take a few deep breaths and I pretty much promised myself I won’t talk anymore in class unless its a) relevant or b)allowed. I felt SO selfish when I realized how I had probably been distracting my peers.

You might be like, “Why did I just read that? That dumb girl, this isn’t even relevant.” It definitely is. I learned and realized more today on the second day of my sixth week than any other day. Always do what your teachers tell you to do. They know what they’re doing, you don’t yet. Be respectful, not everyone will speak up if you’ve offended or distracted them. As always, have faith in yourself because that’s the most important.

Sorry I had to get a little deep today but you want to know it all, right?

Till next time,

-Teresa