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Clients praise cosmetology students
By Tony Sapochetti
tsapochetti@pantagraph.com
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PONTIAC — Jeanie Stepro of Pontiac sits in a beautician’s chair, eyes closed and hair in a sink, while wax is applied to her eyebrows.

This is her first time to the Unity Cosmetology School and her experience so far has been nothing but positive.

“She’s awesome,” Stepro said about student Emily Gray, 21, of Forrest, as Gray continued to delicately pluck and wax Stepro’s eyebrows. “I’m definitely coming back.”

Since its opening last March, many people have tried the school, 24 Vermillion Plaza. Two school officials say they did not expect the success they have received.

“We have people coming in for everything, like perms and haircuts, and it’s been great,” operations director and instructor Teresa Ciulla said. “We even have people coming in from Princeton and Streator who have been here saying that they were interested.”

Financial director and instructor Phyllis Sippel said she was shocked to see the amount of business the school received in its first few months. Some students already have given more than 100 haircuts

and sometimes have to turn

away walk-in clients.

“It came as a surprise to me,” she said. “I didn’t think that the students would be as busy as they were, and it was pretty much immediate after we opened the lab last May.”

The school offers a 1,500-hour program, which all licensed cosmetologists are required to take. Students are taught everything from haircuts and hair coloring to nail polishing and facials. Overall, Ciulla said the program usually takes a year to finish.

Currently, the school’s six students are learning classroom theory in the morning and doing practical work with mannequins and real clients in the afternoon. Cuilla said clients needn’t fear having a student cut their hair: Students complete several hours of practice with a mannequin head and most haircuts are well-supervised.

For the students, the experience doesn’t seem like school.

“I’ve been here since March and I love it,” Kelsey Mettille, 19, of Cullom, said. “I originally wanted to do nails and my mom said if she was going to pay for that then I might as well go for everything. Now I love haircutting, and I want to start my own business in Cullom.”

Take a look
Jeanie Stepro of Pontiac sits and relaxes while she gets her eyebrows waxed from Unity Cosmetology School Student Emily Gray, 21 of Forrest. (Pantagraph, Tony Sapochetti)
Numerous mannequin heads sporting several different hairstyles can be seen throughout the area of the Unity Cosmetology School as Operations Director and Instructor Teresa Ciulla prepares a station for a demonstration (Pantagraph, Tony Sapochetti)
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Reader comments on this story - 3 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Love it! wrote on Aug 29, 2007 9:03 AM:

" Great service and the students are wonderful. Ms. Stepro is right! Emily is awesome! "

Brenda wrote on Aug 27, 2007 4:47 PM:

" Go to school here - it rocks! "

Avid Customer wrote on Aug 27, 2007 4:47 PM:

" Great cosmetology school with excellent teachers and friendly students. My hair-cut was wonderful and very affordable! "
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