King Career Center (KCC) offers a Cosmetology course where students can learn about how to care for the hair, skin and nails. In the cosmetology course students get accumulated hours towards their 1,650 hours that are needed for a cosmetology license.

Normandy Huckins has been teaching cosmetology at KCC for six years. Barbara Emery has been working at KCC since last fall.

The hours that students earn in the class are only transferable within the state of Alaska. In the first semester you learn about some of the different opportunities or different routes in the hair industry. You also learn permanent waving, women’s haircutting, and sanitation and disinfection. In the second semester you learn about chemicals, hair coloring, finger waving, men’s cutting and salon management.

Students at KCC are introduced to many different fun things there. Students from all different schools can attend KCC. A student from East High school, named Andrea Hoynes says, “KCC is different from my old school because, at my old school we didn’t have any type of job center or career training.” Hoynes also says that she plans on pursuing a career in cosmetology her near future and that she is going to continue on to semester two of the class if her schedule allows it. “ I didn’t choose this class but I decided to stay because I see that it would make a fun career if I stick with it.”

Normandy Huckins has been in the hair industry for about 18 years. Huckins also works at a Trendsetters salon in Anchorage. Huckins says that “ The hardest part about working here at KCC is just the politics of being a school teacher, things that we have to follow…I find that working with kids most of the time is actually the easiest portion of it. Sometimes it’s harder dealing with the redirection of students because I’m so passionate about what I do, and when people aren’t it’s a little bit harder.” Sometimes when students first start working on a real persons head they may worry about the nerves from transferring from a manikin to human head. Huckins says, “Gaining confidence and the skills helps you get over the nerves. I think that the 10 months that you’re in beauty school really helps you get over that.”

Barbara Emery has been in the hair industry for about 30 years. She attend Peers beauty school in Portland. She worked in Maine for 10 years, then worked here for 20 years and she also owns her own salon at her own house. She has gotten licenses in the state of Washington, Colorado, Alaska, and Maine. Emery says, “The most challenging part about my job at KCC is since I’m new to public school and I’m a first year teacher. So just making sure everything is in order.”

Overall, this course is really fun for the students and teachers. Teachers and students collaborate to make the most of the class and open up new doors for a future in the cosmetology industry.