FROM EMT PARAMEDIC TO BEAUTY-SERVICE PROVIDER

Brianna Pond touches up Madison Debozy’s makeup for the Advocate Halloween cover shoot. (Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate)

Mt. Hood’s cosmetology department gives students the opportunity to gain comprehensive knowledge in their field,  learning the ropes in all aspects of the beauty care profession before they branch out after graduation to work in their preferred specialty.

The Advocate had a chance to meet three current students: Brianna Pond, Madison Debozy and Courtney Trickle. Pond and Trickle teamed up to create the makeup shown on the cover image of this week’s Advocate issue, featuring Debozy sporting a spooky Halloween look.

Pond and Trickle bonded over makeup, finding it led to shared interests. Trickle is currently most passionate about nails.

As to why any of them chose to attend Mt. Hood, Debozy listed proximity to home, a lower tuition cost, high graduation rate, and confidence that the program “really prepares students for the field.”

Pond said Mt. Hood is usually chosen by new students because it covers all branches of cosmetology, “but we also get an associate degree with it.”

Participants in MHCC’s cosmetology program are required to learn all areas of cosmetology to receive an Oregon state license to practice as a professional. This includes hair, nails, and makeup application. (Students working in the MHCC salon work under their faculty members’ licenses.)

Other program requirements include a minimum of 30 hours per week in the salon, totaling at least 2,140 hours upon graduation.

The program is based on a point value system, with each technique and service worth a certain amount of points. For example, students need a total of 250 points for hairstyles, 200 points for haircuts, 20 points for manicures, 20 points for pedicures, and 10 points for makeup application.

This is only a small list of services they learn and provide to clients that are required to complete the program.

Pond, or “Bree” as she likes to be called, is passionate about the three chief aspects of the program. Last year she was the only MHCC first-year student to attend the program’s annual trip to Long Beach, California for the International Salon and Spa Expo (ISSE).

In her second term at Mt. Hood, she became president of Image Makers, the student club for the cosmetology program. Her duties include running fundraisers, keeping track of finances, and maintaining the salon. Although it isn’t a requirement, she makes sure that the salon is open for fellow students, laundry is being done, and drinking water is available for clients.

‘Best of both worlds’

Pond said she’s grown a lot since taking charge.

“Being president definitely teaches you how to manage your own salon,” she said. “It’s a crazy experience, but it’s probably my favorite part about being in this program because it taught me how to be tough and it taught me not to let anybody take advantage of me.”

Growing up, Pond had her heart set on being an EMT paramedic. She graduated from Gresham High School and attended Portland Community College to obtain an EMT license, but “after that my hair was significantly falling out and I was like, ‘You know… maybe I can have the best of both worlds (medical and beauty care).’ ” As she changed her focus, she became more and more interested in makeup.

Pond elaborated: “I’ve been losing my hair since I was 3 years old.” This was due to the autoimmune disease alopecia areata, which occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles.

“Going through high school and dealing with hair loss, it was a mental game for me all the time. So I decided that I would just want to make a profession out of making people feel beautiful.

“When someone walks out of my chair and they’re happy from something that I do, it makes me forget about my own issues and it just makes me focus on the people that are in my chair,” she said. “That’s why I do it. I love sharing that story, too, because not a lot of people know about it, so I think it’s good to get it out there.”

Similar feel

Part of the cosmetology program deals with anatomy and physiology, too.

Pond observed, “A lot of the time people drop out of this program to go to nursing and vice versa – just like me, EMT. The medical career and this career really go hand-in-hand because we have to have the same study. They’re very, very similar; the only difference is we (cosmetology) don’t work with needles.”

As for the future, Pond sees herself married and doing freelance work. She is currently engaged. Her fiancé is also an EMT, and so she said, “I get to live (that excitement) through him.” She has been maintaining her EMT license, taking and proctoring exams every six months for the EMT program here at Mt. Hood.

Upon graduation next spring, she hopes to work at a salon in the Gresham area.

For anyone interested in services offered at the Mt. Hood salon, prices and hours are listed on the MHCC website.

This year there are modified hours for the salon, due to lower student enrollment the past few terms. However, Fall Term has seen a higher cosmetology enrollment and hours are likely to go back to normal, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday, by next term.

Advocate Staff