Kristin Brown: L’Oréal Professionnel Empowering Diversity Scholarship
We are so proud to announce that Empire Beauty School Northlake student, Kristin Brown, is a recipient of the Beauty Changes Lives- L’Oréal Professionnel Empowering Diversity Scholarship! This $5000 scholarship will be a tremendous help in alleviating a financial burden, allowing Brown to focus on her studies and continue to pursue her dreams. Brown joined Empire Beauty School in May 2023 as an evening student.
Rachel Casbourne, Executive Director at Empire Northlake, commends Brown’s dedication.
Kristin is a talented hard working student, she always lights up a room with her infectious smile and positive attitude. She has built her professional brand by being a sisterlock’s specialist and coming to school in the evenings, she has chosen to come to Empire to further her knowledge in the beauty industry to open a world of opportunities for her business and to help others achieve their inner beauty.
A typical day for Brown is working on her business during the day, then attending beauty school in the evening. With this busy schedule, she focuses on her “why” to help her achieve her end goal.
I love cosmetology because it’s a way to make people feel great about themselves. The impact is what makes me love it, talking to them and getting to know them. At the end of the appointment, we’re friends. Sometimes when you go to school, you’re already exhausted from the day. I like when we have guest speakers to hear from different people in the industry.
Brown began her natural hair journey in 2009 when she was researching how to save money with more affordable hairstyles. She became interested in sisterlocks because of their size and versatility. After her first sisterlock experience did not go as planned, Brown took the initiative to learn how to do her hair.
I bought a ticket to San Diego to visit the Sisterlocks home office which offers a variety of classes. After I started working on my hair, other people were okay with me practicing on them. I found out someone was hiring in their Atlanta salon, so I packed up my car and moved to Atlanta. I trained under her for 2-3 months, until the pandemic hit. The person who trained me was also pregnant and stopped doing hair. She offered me her clients and I decided to revamp and recreate my brand. I started going the digital route doing portfolios and consultations virtually. I want to help women love locs and understand that locs could be as professional as other styles.
Already owning her own business, Established Roots, Brown recognizes the importance of becoming a licensed cosmetologist to support her long-term goals.
My business is Established Roots, roots can be hair, family, spiritual, really anything you want it to be. I love the name because it covers so much. I want to be more involved in mentoring. I want to open up a salon and teach others how to do what I do. It accelerates you when you learn from someone who has already done it. In my business, I was mentoring my clients that wanted to learn how to do sisterlocks. I would teach them tips on how to make it look neat, increase your speed, and other things. I had all of these digital creations, and different people coming to me. I would also help people create their portfolios.
When you are studying at a beauty school, you are surrounded by other individuals that share the same passion as you. You work together as a team to achieve your personal and professional goals.
The students are a big help. There was one girl I noticed that would work ahead in her free time. I would look at her and realize that I should be doing the same thing. Accountability is what helps me. I offer my classmates to use my office for a study session. I like asking my educators questions and learning professional terminology. I’m inspired by watching other people who are also passionate about their craft.
Brown utilizes the time she has in pre-salon to work through the challenging stages of learning a new practice.
We work on mannequins every day. You can practice on your mannequin and show that work to your clients. Using mannequins helps you gain confidence and is the practice you need before you’re on the salon floor. Make all of your mistakes on the mannequin, and give yourself grace on them.
Congratulations Kristin Brown on winning the Beauty Changes Lives- L’OréalProfessionnel Empowering Diversity Scholarship!
For more information about Empire Beauty School, or how to enroll visit https://bit.ly/LearnMoreAtEmpire