Stephanie Arteaga – Her Journey from Updo’s to Up-scale Salon
“I have 4 sisters and I would practice on them all the time, doing their hair. People would ask them “where do you get your hair done?” And they would say ‘my sister did it.”
In fact, with Stephanie Arteaga’s sisters wearing her hairstyles all over New York, she was getting requests from local brides, and others looking for unique updos.
At the time, she was in college, working toward a degree in business management.
“In fact, when I graduated, I did my final portfolio on a business model for a salon. I always knew I wanted to do this.”
She knew the next step was getting her cosmetology license so she could expand her business to include cutting and other services. Stephanie looked into other beauty schools, but says she felt Empire had a great culture when she toured the school.
“The most valuable resource here at Empire is the educators. They are passionate about what they do and if you are a good student and pay attention they are always there to help and guide you to be the best you can be.”
But what came as a surprise to Stephanie, was what she fell in love with during her time in beauty school.
“I had every intention on coming here to learn more styles for my growing business, but I ended up enjoying the color portion of the program so much, I decided to make it a specialty.”
When she was about to graduate, one of the educators who knows the manager at world-famous salon Mark Garrison recommended Stephanie for a color assistant position.
“When I went in to interview they liked me right away and hired me.”
Today, she is working at Mark Garrison Salon and learning all she can about the industry before venturing out on her own.
“I want to open a salon later in my future. I want to get experience in a salon first. I recommend this school to anyone I come across. I love this school. Just the fact that the teachers are so passionate, you can’t put a value on it.”
Stephanie says she is thrilled with her career choice, and as a busy mom with 3 kids, it allows her the flexibility to shape her hours based on what works for her.
“Even when I freelance, it’s great because I can work around my clients schedule and my own.”