On the evening of August 8, South Suburban College hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new cosmetology program facility at its main campus in South Holland, Illinois. Members of the South Suburban College board of trustees, students, and faculty were present for this momentous occasion. The attendees enjoyed colorful finger food arrangements and champagne during the event.
Tiffany Washington, program coordinator of the South Suburban College cosmetology program, predicts that the college’s students will benefit from the cosmetology program in numerous ways.
“This is a revolutionary program, and it will change our students’ lives,” Washington said. “Not only will they be able to earn a cosmetology license, they can also earn an associate’s degree in cosmetology. This program will provide prospective students who don’t necessarily want to go to traditional college with a trade that they can learn, earn a license in, and ultimately use to become self-sufficient. It’s a really great program, and I believe this event was an excellent way to celebrate it. We really appreciate the support we’ve received from the community today because that’s what will help this program be successful. I hope everyone who attended the ribbon cutting is excited and ready to see what we have to offer.”
The development of the cosmetology program, and the conversion of what was once the college bookstore into the cosmetology facility, took roughly a year. The new program, which complements the college’s barber education program, educates students in the many elements of cosmetology including salon operations, hairstyling, and nail services. The program certainly has received interest; all openings for the Fall 2024 semester were occupied before the ribbon cutting.
Dr. Tasha S. Williams, vice president of academic services at South Suburban College, feels that the ribbon cutting event marks a very significant point in South Suburban College’s history.
“This is an extremely important event for the college,” Williams said. “The cosmetology program represents innovation and creativity at our school. It gives students the opportunity to pursue careers that will lift them out of poverty into a sustainable living situation. We were very fortunate to receive funding from the Illinois Black Caucus through the Workforce Equity Initiative thanks to the support of State Representative Will Davis, who is present today. I’m excited to see the final result because, as the vice president of academic services, I was in charge of the development of a relevant cosmetology curriculum and the hiring of qualified and accredited faculty members. Today’s event has been testament to all of the hard work that our board, our president, our faculty, and our entire administration have done. This has been a long journey for us, so I am beyond happy that we’ve reached this point.”
President of South Suburban College Dr. Lynette Stokes and South Suburban College Board of Trustees Chairman Terry R. Wells offered some remarks on the new cosmetology program and facility before performing the ribbon cutting. They went on to show the attendees the facility’s features, which include manicure and pedicure stations and professional hair dryer chairs.
Washington is deeply passionate about her work and looks forward to seeing how the college’s program will contribute to the field of cosmetology.
“I find this especially exciting because this has been a lifelong journey for me,” Washington said. “I love everything that has to do with barbering and cosmetology, but this program goes beyond learning how to style hair; it’s an opportunity to change lives through education. I’ve been an educator in this field for a long time and I’ve seen people that don’t take cosmetology and barbering professions seriously and often look down on them. We are raising the bar here at South Suburban College by making this program as professional as possible. While we firmly believe in the importance of education, we’re going to make sure that we have fun in this program too. Get ready, because the sky's the limit.”
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