Another college in Hillsdale focuses on the beautiful, but of a different kind: the Hillsdale Beauty College.
The school, located in downtown Hillsdale, enrolls between 25 to 30 students at a time, who study cosmetology, nail care, and entrepreneurship.
“Cosmetology is an industry that is not going to go away. It is constantly evolving,” co-owner Andy Young said. “COVID proved that people will go to the ends of the earth to get their hair, nails or makeup done. They’re going to find a way to make sure that they look beautiful, that they feel good about themselves.”
The current owners are Zetave and Andy Young, residents of Coldwater, Michigan. The couple had been married for a few years when they were approached with the idea of buying the college. The idea excited Andy, who had been interested in owning a small business, but he had to convince Zetave, a former student of Hillsdale Beauty College.
“I actually worked with our current owner, Zetave Young, at a salon,” head instructor Kelsie Smith said. “When she decided that she was going to buy the beauty college here and take it over, she basically told me I had to come with her, and if teaching wasn’t something I was interested in, then they weren’t going to buy the school.”
When Smith said she would join the couple in their business venture, they quickly signed over ownership. The Youngs have overseen the college since 2013.
The entire program is 1500 hours with a 100% passing rate and 100% job placement rate after graduation. The entire program costs $23,100, and runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday with part time options available.
According to Smith, the Hillsdale Beauty College provides a tight-knit environment that cannot be found at corporate, national level cosmetology programs like Paul Mitchell.
“I think the most students I’ve ever had in one class was seven or eight,” Smith said. “My last class only had two students. There’s definitely a lot of time to work one-on-one with these girls, not only on their skills but if they’re just having issues in life. We’re here as a sounding board, someone they can talk to if they feel comfortable.”
Founded in 1928, the cosmetology school has gone from teaching shingle bobs to mullets to balayage. The school, founded under the name Riggs Beauty Culture, has been passed down through six different owners.
“Ten years ago, when I started educating, mullets were laughed at, men’s perms were laughed at. It’s really funny to see the change in what is popular,” Smith said. “I tell the girls I think it is so much easier than what I was doing when I first started. It was very particular, all the way to the scalp dye. Now it’s much more lived-in, very organic with what people are wanting for their colors.”
Alumni are spread throughout the Michigan-Ohio-Indiana region and many return to teach at the college.
“We always try to have continuity, caring people that actually lend credibility to the education first and foremost,” Young said. “At the end of the day, we have probably 30-some students including high school dual enrollment because we’ve got contracts with Hillsdale County. Here you are a person. Everyone knows your name.”
According to Smith, marketing is one of the most important skills the beauty college teaches. The program requires each student to post their work on social media each day as a part of their education.
“Social media is the best marketing tool there is for this industry as far as I’m concerned, and it’s completely free,” Smith said.
Students close to graduating work in a full-service salon at the college. They offer services as low as $10 for a cut and style, by appointment only.
In addition to “in the chair” training, the students are also taught financial management by local accountants, including how to start IRAs as self-employed individuals. They also learn stress management techniques and how to maintain a client list.
According to Andy Young, cosmetology provides a flexible means of starting a company, which can be expanded as far as the owner would like.
“I don’t believe it gets the positive recognition it should,” Andy Young said. “You can be an owner of your business, you can go to a resort and spa, maybe work on a movie set. There’s always going to be dances and proms, professional photography sessions, weddings.”
Delani Monahan, a current student on track to graduate this summer, said cosmetology has given her an opportunity for fiscal freedom and time management.
“I would like to be able to create my own schedule eventually and have that financial freedom,” Monahan said.
It was her passion for making others feel beautiful that led her to the industry.
“I want to be that person that can help someone else be at their best potential to feel like themselves,” Monahan said. “It feels so good when other people turn around in that chair and have the biggest smile.”
