Mariah Nichols – Empire Graduate Lands Position at World-Renowned Salon

by Jess Quandel

New York native Mariah Nichols always knew she wanted to do hair.

I was experimenting all the time with my hair, different colors and styles. I researched schools on line and I loved the location of Empire Beauty School in Manhattan.”

Rita Hazan Salon
720 5th Ave
New York, NY 10019

For Nichols, Empire’s 34th street location was where she wanted to be.

To come here it’s different from other parts of NY. Out here it’s where everything is at. The lights, the action. It’s inspirational. Even to be inspired to afford half the things you see on 34th street.

But it wasn’t just the location that sold Mariah on Empire. “The hands-on curriculum is what excited me about the program. Getting to learn by doing was important to me.

Mariah says her educators at Empire were constantly pushing her to do her best.

When she was in the Job Search portion of the curriculum she was filling out applications and came across a position at world renowned salon Rita Hazan.

I just thought, why not, I’ll give it a shot. Then one day they called me. I couldn’t believe it. My educator helped me prep for my interview and when I went in, they liked me and said you’re hired. I started there on the day of my graduation.

Mariah is a color assistant at Rita Hazan. “It’s a great community of stylists. Everyone is supportive of each other and their goals.

She knows she has to be good at the basics like blow drying and curling. But she is also working toward getting better at cutting. When she is not working on the color side of the salon, she is over on the hair side watching and assisting, so she can sharpen her skills.

I never imagined I would be where I am this early. We would talk about it in class, about where you envision yourself after graduation, and everyone thinks they will be at a top salon in NYC. I am actually there and it’s like a dream come true.

We get celebrities, we do Beyonce’s extensions. Jessica Simpson comes there all the time.

It’s an exciting first step for this new stylist, who says she hopes to continue to grow at Rita Hazan.

I hope to get my own chair there, and build my clientele.

And for Mariah, she says Empire is what made her dream a reality.

Having the skills that they give you here at Empire you can go anywhere with it.”

May 24, 2016

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