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Everything can change in a New York Minute

Looking back, it was like watching the trailer to a surreal movie in slow motion unable to find the stop button March 2020. The week leading up to lockdown was definitely showing bizarre signs of what lay ahead without us all knowing it and as we all avidly followed the news updates it became very apparent that this impending virus was steam-rolling day by day, then hour by hour. It was not going away and was all my team & students could talk about: they were, rightly very concerned.

In-between leaving work on Friday and returning Monday morning the whole world changed and I had no idea what to do. I was the Executive Director of 2 Cosmetology Schools in NYC and responsible for a team, student body & facility. I stayed glued to the TV and social media all weekend in disbelief as one-by-one whole infrastructures announced closures as per Governor Cuomo's Executive Order & non essential workers were advised to work from home as emergency state mandates were announced.

Side Note: Regardless of what lay ahead for Cuomo I firmly believe that NY would have fared much, much worse without his strength, leadership, firm directive and daily briefings which became the highlight of the day to New Yorkers.

Not sure what to do I did what I did every day and went to work, not really sure what I would find. I had recently moved from living within walking distance to work in SoHo NYC to commute from outside of Manhattan. The journey that morning was filled with tension & empty seats as I had no idea what lay ahead. One-by-one my team apologetically called out for the day filled with fear of commuting and being around others in our School & Academy, I told them I would be in touch asap with a plan when I had met with our owner. Surprisingly 10 students showed up where I promptly sent them home and told them we would be voluntarily closing today ahead of the start of the enforced shut down scheduled from tomorrow in order for all to stay safe, I would be in touch later in the day and see them in 2 weeks (famous last words!)

It was determined our locations would close and we would see how the week played out. Everyone was scared of the unknown however it really was an unwanted taster of the impending shock & absolute disbelief that would consume the next few weeks before real life fear kicked in. Living in NYC for 12 years at that time I thought I had seen it all; hurricanes, floods, black-outs and so much more but this was like nothing else ever imagined in my lifetime.

As time went on and it became apparent this was not going away and was increasing daily, our lives became consumed with the purpose of our collective new mantra of "flatten the curve." I continued to go to work for the remainder of the week to work on next steps & monitor the situation stopping only to watch The Governor's daily briefing showing the latest increase in numbers & spread while his Instagram posts became the only ones in my feed of any value.

We had 100+ current students studying Cosmetology, Barbering & Esthetics, classes scheduled to graduate, new classes scheduled to start, kits scheduled to be delivered, schedules planned, a new program to implement & get accredited, an impending inspection visit, weekly advanced and on the road classes and so much more. Then the carpet was well and truly pulled from under our feet so by Friday our small skeleton team had tricked home & finally I went home not knowing when we would return and see each other again.

Although the Training School was not my business I treated it as if it was: I had started the school, got it licensed & accredited, written all the programs, hired & trained all the staff and purchased every piece of furniture & equipment, I did not want to see it shut down never to reopen but literally at the time it was impossible to continue safely so we paused and waited. I had no idea at this time of the future worldwide extent of the pandemic and from a personal level the hoops I would have to jump through to for the School to adjust direction to fight to remain in business and to keep myself & our team employed.

In hindsight we had absolutely no idea the pandemic would still be around and potential cause for concern 2 years later as we aimed to get through every day safely the best we could and make it to the next day. I write this now March 2022 to remind myself of the severity of the situation & emotions we all went through on a daily basis and how it actually felt at the time as our outlook now is very different than it was then: during the darkest times I really thought it was the end of the world and I may never see my family & friends again.

To distract myself I began to walk around the empty streets just to check the world was still there and I was not the only survivor in a real life disaster movie At first it felt weird taking my camera so I just took my phone and felt guilty for every photo I took: like I should not be there without purpose but gradually felt more comfortable and my walk was the only normal in life and the thing to look forward to. As a landscape/cityscape photographer I was used to walking around empty streets early morning to gain a different perspective however this was like nothing I had ever experienced, as all the people had literally disappeared and the streets simply stopped.

Living overseas for an extended time has provided me with amazing benefits that I couldn't possibly list here and having lived in 2 additional different countries than my UK home for over 20 years I highly recommend it to all however living alone, overseas during a global pandemic is not something I could have ever imagined or planned for. My work was my daily focus and after being furloughed for 2 weeks it became apparent that if I was to keep myself and our team in their jobs then I would have to develop a temporary distance learning system that had value for the students, fulfilment for the teachers and was results driven not just time-filler and distraction. It was a big job however I knew I could do it & more importantly had to do it for the benefit of all, not least, myself.

Prior to March 2020 I would never have considered integrating, hosting or attending any type of Online/Distance learning as I personally could not see the significance yet it has now become so normal and part of every day life that I have personally learned to embrace & value.

Everything really can change in a New York Minute!

For more reading see "Developing an unexpected Temporary Distance Learning system for practical programs"

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School Director Loretta

Continuing with our (January 2019) 10 years since Class 1 graduation week we speak to Director Loretta about relocating to NYC and what it was like to start ARROJO Cosmetology School!

Loretta, where are you from and what did you do before you came to NYC?

I’m originally from Liverpool UK where I worked as a hairdresser & educator for 10+ years before moving to Bermuda for 7 years. I’ve been in NYC for 11 years now since 2007 (I had a gap year in 2018 and returned earlier this year) I absolutely love the hairdressing industry, it has brought me much happiness & opportunity during my 30 year career so far and I am very thankful to be part of it at ARROJO NYC.

So you are an experienced hairdresser, how did that help with moving to NYC?

It gave me credentials to move here and knowledge & experience to write programs with specific objectives and manage teacher training. I had great mentorship in the UK when learning how to teach and know the importance of structure, aims & objectives, progression, review, targets & feedback.

I was one of the first hundred people in UK to be invited to complete the Wella Master Colour Expert program while I was teaching in The UK and I regularly wrote articles for national trade magazines.

How was the process of setting up a school in NYC?

The process of setting up and creating a state licensed school in New York has very specific criteria for the facility, staff, programs, process & a strict timeline for completion.

I researched, researched & researched some more to learn the specific requirements for all aspects of setting up, running & managing a school in NYC. We actively sought out a team of mentors to help us with the navigation process who were so amazing, helpful and patient. The school joined state & national associations to connect us with like minded people to help us on our journey many of who are still great friends to ARROJO today.

Having worked through the demanding licensing and accreditation processes several times I feel that I truly can accomplish anything with structure, a plan and daily targets.

How was Class 1?

We had an amazing class of 12 enthusiastic students who were so excited to learn, progress and be part of our inaugural first class. It truly made all of the hard work worthwhile.

The elation & energy when we opened was second to none. It was so amazing to finally have a class start to learn and progress after the multi-faceted process of opening a school.

Class 1 formed a strong bond and helped & supported each other daily. They became friends in & out of school and some of them even work together today! It was amazing to see a group of strangers come together so seamlessly connected by their one common goal and love for learning cosmetology.

10 Years since their graduation, has that flown by?

It is amazing what can be achieved in 10 years. Class 1 alumni have earned themselves great credentials in the hairdressing world, established & grown their careers and found their niche.

Since we opened January 2009 we have graduated over 900 cosmetology & barbering students into the hairdressing world: our alumni are our greatest achievements & proudest moments.

ARROJO Cosmetology School has earned recognition during the 10 years, you must be very proud to have played a part in the success.

I am proud & honored to work in such a key role for a brand with such respect & recognition. With a Director role comes great responsibility to the students, staff, owner, state & accreditation agency so compliance is a major aspect of my role.

Being recognized & honored by our peers is a wonderful bonus: ARROJO Cosmetology School has been honored in multiple categories annually since the Excellence in Education awards began in 2011, our educators have been honored in the Milady Educator of The Year awards and we have been featured regularly in trade press.

Our students have had opportunities to present on stage to audiences of thousands at trade shows such as IBS NY, ARROJO Expo and be involved in fashion week, events, classes & training with national industry leaders.

Personally, my proudest moments are the little moments, walking around the school and seeing the students have light-bulb moments, class graduations and following their successes. Being based in SoHo I see alumni from 2009 onwards on a daily basis who are staff members at ARROJO Studio. Seeing them grow their careers as stylists, colorists & educators is magical for me.

What is next for ARROJO Cosmetology School?

Students of today are different than students from 10 years ago. It keeps us growing as individuals, teachers & as a facility to review different ways to provide their learning opportunities incorporating updated learning methods & technology.

We look forward to elevating our school status now we have a solid 10 years worth of knowledge, success & statistics behind us for the Cosmetology program, growing our Barbering program and providing additional opportunities for students & alumni within the ARROJO brand with all that we do. Stay tuned!

Class 1 will always be very special which is why we wanted to celebrate not only their class start but also their graduation.

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Thank you Hairbrained for the HBLive Classes!

Dyson Styling with Gerard Scarpaci 

Drop Dead Reds with Colin Caruso

BoHo Beauties with Jenny Strebe

Cutting Corners with Drew Schaefering

Crush it on Instagram with Michael Cole 

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Demo

HeadSheet

Video 

Learning Moment - place just the right amount on he tint brush for each foil for time management.

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Demo

HeadSheet

Video 

Learning Moment - place just the right amount on the tint brush for each foil for time management.

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Day 4 Sassoon InHaus 

Demo

Presentation

LookBook

Activity 

Reading 

Quiz

Mannequin 

HeadSheet 

Learning Moment - Use the consultation to excite the client 

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Sassoon InHaus Day 3 

Demo

Reading 

Video

HeadSheet

Color Inspiration

Bone Structure Exercise 

Learning Moment start in the interior for a soft outline 

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Colour shapes our world, Sassoon InHaus #sassoon https://www.instagram.com/p/B_3U8M9Dz-8/?igshid=1xrbm45shmudk

#sassoon

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Sassoon InHaus Day 3 ✂️ with Traci #sassoon https://www.instagram.com/p/B_3Uy_FDkoF/?igshid=br7y96qa982n

#sassoon

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3D Colour Lock Therapy - Completed

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3D Colour Lock, Nioxin - Completed 

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Day 2 - Hairlines & Fringes 

Demo Short Cut, Layers & Graduation with Double Fringe- Mark Hayes 

Watch Video - Layers with Graduation 

Activity- HeadSheets

Watch Video - Tint with HighLights 

HeadSheet 

Quiz 100%

Learning Moment - Double Fringe Technique, Cutting up against the forehead 

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Day 1 Layers & Short Cuts 

Intro, video, architecture, shape- Mark Hayes

Demo Short Square Cut - Traci Sakosits 

Draw HeadSheets

Reading Exercise 

Watch Video 

Short Hair Share 

Learning Moment - The camera does not see texture so add some depth with “holes” in the styling/finished look.

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Sassoon InHaus Education Week 1 Creating a Signature Look

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Layers & Short Hair Looks, Day 2 with Mark Hayes #sassoon #markhayes https://www.instagram.com/p/B_0zl8zD-1L/?igshid=19y6uvnko6636

#sassoon #markhayes

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Sassoon In Haus Education✂️ emerge with a different mindset and more knowledge. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_yDwvfj79l/?igshid=cgeytmsf0dbs

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Preparing to get back to work safely for myself, staff, students & clients by learning the newest Safety & Health Infection Control practices and becoming Certified in all. 

Barbicide Certifications

Barbicide COVID Certification

Milady Infection Control Certification

Dermalogica Clean Touch Certification

Thank you Barbicide, Milady & Dermalogica for these invaluable resources.