RCC’s Salon re-opens August 29; Jazzlyn Washington winner of cosmetology competition

Cosmetology students at Robeson Community College are busy getting ready for the re-opening of the RCC Salon, which will take place on Tuesday, August 29. The salon closed after the end of summer classes in July, and with the start of a new school year, second-year students are preparing for the next step of becoming a licensed cosmetologist, by gaining hours through working with clients and providing services to the general public.

“We are excited,” stated Mary Ransom, the cosmetology program director. “Our students are ready and cannot wait to start doing hair on actual clients – we love what we do, and we love that we get to make our clients look and feel beautiful.”

Services available include shampoo, cut, and style; chemical treatment such as coloring and perms; facials; pedicures; braiding; and more.

“Beginning on the 29th, the salon will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. If you are seeking chemical services, you must be signed in by 10 a.m.,” Ransom said.

“Our second-year students have worked hard to get to this point and they are ready to serve our clients,” she added. “They are very talented and gifted, I hope that many people in our community will come out to support our cosmetology students, as every service that they complete builds confidence and helps them reach their goals towards completing their program of study and getting ready for state boards.”

Part of the preparation for second-year students included their final project-turned-competition that took place this past summer.

“The Fantasy Display project showcases everything our students can do with hair and makeup,” Ransom said. “It was inspired by the SkillsUSA competition that we attended, and our students have just loved getting involved in the projects and have really gone above and beyond.”

This is the second year that cosmetology students have been involved in the project. Students were to find a photo of any person or character, real or animated, and then work on duplicating that photo on a mannequin using the skills and knowledge they learned during their class and labs.

The instructors did not limit the student’s creativity in any way – they could use props, paint, and makeup, use fake hair to create designs, utilize chemicals to add effects to the mannequin’s hair, and make use of hairbows and other items to create a fantasy masterpiece.

“As students started and they saw what they were capable of doing, they got excited,” said Ransom. “The amount of time that they spent on the intricate details to ensure that nothing was overlooked shows how much effort they put into the project. They truly did their best to create the most realistic character possible using their imagination to transform the resources and tools they had into works of art. They were amazing.”

In addition to creating a display, students also created a brochure that showed the procedures used to create the designs, which also taught students about marketing and promotion, valuable skills stylists need to help build clientele.

The winner of the 2023 competition was Jazzlyn Washington with her display of Female Shere Khan. Coming in at second place was Cheneice Milon with the Joker, third place went to Amena Baker with her version of the Female Black Panther, Shylah Godwin took fourth place with a display of TE Fiti, fifth place went to Rosa Navarette with Day of the Dead, and Christian Hunt came in sixth place with his rendition of Effie Trinket. Amanda Taylor received an honorable mention for her display of Eddina Scissors Hands. Votes for the contest were cast by RCC faculty and staff.