Faces of Empire Archives - ��

Jade Zolanka: Hair, Makeup & Hollywood

Jess Quandel — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 18:19:06 +0000

Jade Zalonka just graduated from and will be leaving for Los Angeles soon, where she will be doing makeup for a new movie.

“I was in shock when I was offered the opportunity. I come from a really small town and it’s exciting to be able to say I am really living a dream right now.”

It’s a dream that starts long before Jade can even remember.

“When I was younger, I would always cut my hair without my mom’s permission and I would always cut my dolls hair.”

And, when people asked, the beauty industry was always the answer to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

As a teenager, Jade got into modeling, doing photo shoots for stores and clothing lines. She says it was a great way to network and meet people, particularly in the industry she wanted to be part of. So as she approached the end of High School, she knew exactly what to do next.

“Empire had a booth at my high school’s Career Day and I was so excited to talk to them. There was no doubt I was going to attend Empire after graduation.”

For Jade, Empire offered her everything she wanted in a beauty school. A friendly environment, quality education, a fun experience and hands on learning.

“It has been wonderful. I have met so many great people, both in the industry and beyond.”

She says if you have a passion for hair, nails, makeup or skincare, there is a place for you in the beauty business.

“There is so much you can do. You can work on cruise ships, you can style models, you can work in a salon, you can specialize in weddings and proms, and there are so many opportunities.”

And with the connections and assistance from the team at Empire, she already has several job offers to consider once she returns from working out West.

“The whole experience has been great. I feel prepared to start my journey. I have a lot of great opportunities thanks to my time here at Empire. I am working toward doing what I have always wanted to do. I can’t believe this is my life now.”

If you are interested in learning more about how you can become a , please fill out the form on this page or give us a call at 1 (800) 964-1328.

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Stephanie Arteaga – Her Journey from Updo’s to Up-scale Salon

Jess Quandel — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 19:26:59 +0000

“I have 4 sisters and I would practice on them all the time, doing their hair. People would ask them “where do you get your hair done?” And they would say ‘my sister did it.”

In fact, with Stephanie Arteaga’s sisters wearing her hairstyles all over New York, she was getting requests from local brides, and others looking for unique updos.

At the time, she was in college, working toward a degree in business management.

“In fact, when I graduated, I did my final portfolio on a business model for a salon. I always knew I wanted to do this.”

She knew the next step was getting her cosmetology license so she could expand her business to include cutting and other services. Stephanie looked into other beauty schools, but says she felt Empire had a great culture when she toured the school.

“The most valuable resource here at Empire is the educators. They are passionate about what they do and if you are a good student and pay attention they are always there to help and guide you to be the best you can be.”

But what came as a surprise to Stephanie, was what she fell in love with during her time in beauty school.

“I had every intention on coming here to learn more styles for my growing business, but I ended up enjoying the color portion of the program so much, I decided to make it a specialty.”

When she was about to graduate, one of the educators who knows the manager at world-famous salon Mark Garrison recommended Stephanie for a color assistant position.

“When I went in to interview they liked me right away and hired me.”

Today, she is working at and learning all she can about the industry before venturing out on her own.

“I want to open a salon later in my future. I want to get experience in a salon first. I recommend this school to anyone I come across. I love this school. Just the fact that the teachers are so passionate, you can’t put a value on it.”

Stephanie says she is thrilled with her career choice, and as a busy mom with 3 kids, it allows her the flexibility to shape her hours based on what works for her.

“Even when I freelance, it’s great because I can work around my clients schedule and my own.”

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Lucille Mack – From Empire Graduate to Empire Educator

Jess Quandel — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 19:01:40 +0000

For Lucille Mack, there was no other choice but

“A lot of my friends were already in the industry and this was the place to be. They all had great experiences here, and so I knew from the beginning this was where I needed to be.”

And when she came in for a tour, her friends advice didn’t disappoint.

“When I toured the school the students were so happy and comfortable. They were learning and enjoying themselves and it was a great feeling.”

Lucy knew that �� in is where she would receive the training she needed to begin her dream career. What she didn’t realize, was that her dream career was within Empire walls the whole time.

“I always kept in touch with the educators here so they always kept me in the know of jobs that were available.”

Immediately after graduation, Lucy started working for cosmetic companies like Benefits, Bobbi Brown and MAC.

“I was working per diem for those companies while also doing platform work for salons and product companies.”

She didn’t realize it at the time, but she was already on the path she wanted to pursue.

“I was so grateful for the educators here and what they had given me, I found myself educating people when I got out of school. So it seemed so natural to go in to education.”

She came back to �� in Brooklyn and enrolled in the educator program. When there was an opening for a full-time educator, she immediately applied for it.

“Empire to me is family, it’s home. I navigated my way back here for a reason. I learn everyday. Even now.”

Lucy still works in a local salon, something she is committed to doing, not only for her, but for her students.

“I do stay current on the latest trends and we incorporate that into the classroom.”
And in an industry that changes with the seasons, Lucy says there is one constant.

“We always get great feedback from the salons in the area. We have a great outreach that reaches outside of Brooklyn to Manhattan and Jersey. They are always calling looking for talented future professionals.”

And for this Empire graduate and educator, it’s a source of pride.

“For salons to see great professionalism in our students, they see that they are trained well. They trust our graduates to be what they are looking for in their next employee.”

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Mariah Nichols – Empire Graduate Lands Position at World-Renowned Salon

Jess Quandel — Tue, 24 May 2016 18:38:58 +0000

New York native Mariah Nichols always knew she wanted to do hair.

“I was experimenting all the time with my hair, different colors and styles. I researched schools on line and I loved the location of �� in Manhattan.”

Rita Hazan Salon
720 5th Ave
New York, NY 10019

For Nichols, Empire’s 34th street location was where she wanted to be.

“To come here it’s different from other parts of NY. Out here it’s where everything is at. The lights, the action. It’s inspirational. Even to be inspired to afford half the things you see on 34th street.”

But it wasn’t just the location that sold Mariah on Empire. “The hands-on curriculum is what excited me about the program. Getting to learn by doing was important to me.”

Mariah says her educators at Empire were constantly pushing her to do her best.

When she was in the Job Search portion of the curriculum she was filling out applications and came across a position at world renowned salon .

“I just thought, why not, I’ll give it a shot. Then one day they called me. I couldn’t believe it. My educator helped me prep for my interview and when I went in, they liked me and said you’re hired. I started there on the day of my graduation.”

Mariah is a color assistant at Rita Hazan. “It’s a great community of stylists. Everyone is supportive of each other and their goals.”

She knows she has to be good at the basics like blow drying and curling. But she is also working toward getting better at cutting. When she is not working on the color side of the salon, she is over on the hair side watching and assisting, so she can sharpen her skills.

“I never imagined I would be where I am this early. We would talk about it in class, about where you envision yourself after graduation, and everyone thinks they will be at a top salon in NYC. I am actually there and it’s like a dream come true.”

“We get celebrities, we do Beyonce’s extensions. Jessica Simpson comes there all the time.”

It’s an exciting first step for this new stylist, who says she hopes to continue to grow at Rita Hazan.

“I hope to get my own chair there, and build my clientele.”

And for Mariah, she says Empire is what made her dream a reality.

“Having the skills that they give you here at Empire you can go anywhere with it.”

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Camilo Vergara – From Business to Beauty: A Tale of Success in NYC

Jess Quandel — Thu, 19 May 2016 17:51:43 +0000

When he was younger, Camilo Vergara had no idea he would be a licensed cosmetologist. In fact, he came to the US with a degree in Business. It wasn’t until he stopped into his friend’s salon in Manhattan, that he realized he wanted to pursue a career in beauty.

“They were doing a photo shoot and I immediately started throwing out ideas on what they could do. My friend mentioned to me that I had a natural talent and I should look into going to �� to get my license.”

Camilo toured , met the educators, reviewed the curriculum, and signed up to start classes. It was the first step to a dream career in the beauty industry.

“I chose Empire over other schools because I felt the curriculum was so much better. You didn’t just learn one hair type, you learned them all, and received hands on experience with many hair types.”

One day, a staff member at Empire had an opportunity for him he couldn’t pass up.

“It was a huge break for me. Florence and the Machine needed someone to do body painting for their Saturday Night Live appearance. I was so nervous. I only had one week to get ready, but I researched what they wanted, practiced beforehand, and it was a success.”

From there, with the help of social media, Camilo’s name spread. He got a call from Telemundo, asking if he could work on the set of a Spanish language soap opera being filmed in NYC. It was a chain of events that opened with one opportunity.

“You just need one connection. They don’t have to give you a job, they just need to give you the connection.”

Today Camilo is paying it forward to future professionals at ��.

“I do a lot of editorial work and fashion shows. When I need assistants, I come here. I do castings for my shows, where I have students show me styles that fit the theme of the show.”

Camilo holds hours in a salon as well, but is thankful for a faithful clientele who work around his changing schedule.

And one of his favorite activities involves the volunteer work he does for young Latin-American girls.

He provides complimentary hair and makeup services to young girls vying for the title of Queen of the NYC Hispanic Day Parade.

“These girls would otherwise not be able to afford to enter. I’ve been volunteering for 7 years now, and I get more involved every year. It’s great that I can give back.”

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Faces of Empire: Tracy Balan—Manhattan

Jess Quandel — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 16:23:50 +0000

Her list of celebrity clients, TV work, and resume is enough to make your headspin. It’s almost as if she has been a beauty professional for decades; but for Tracy Balan, her career life started out much different than it’s ended up.

After High School this Brooklyn native went about as far from beauty as you can get, enlisting in Military Intelligence school, later serving in the U.S. Army while attending Georgia Military College.

From there she finished up her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing at Medgar Evers College and went to work in the corporate world. But after a few years, her lifelong love of doing hair and makeup was calling her down a different path.

Tracy Balan
Empire Alumni & Celebrity Stylist

“When I was in the military, people had something to say about my hair.” says Balan. “Then at my marketing job, people had a problem with my hair. I said OK, I think it’s time I do hair!”

She admits before beginning classes at Empire she felt like she knew nearly everything there is to know about hair.

“When you grow up in an African American family you know how to do hair. It’s part of the culture. We are raised braiding and straightening.”

But the first day of school was an eye opener for Balan who said her instructor told her to forget everything she thought she knew about hair.

“You’re going to learn texture and type. It’s not about black or white when you walk into Empire. Empire has the most diverse curriculum in all of NYC.”

Host of ‘Girlfriend Intervention’.

During her time in school, Balan used her marketing background to get her website and social media accounts going. Once she graduated, she hit the ground running, doing hair all around New York City.

“I did a lot of free work in the beginning. I had to get my name out there. I had to save up money to do that because I knew it would be a rough first year.”

Eventually, she started to get freelance jobs on her own. Styling hair for network tv programs, magazines and celebrity clients. Eventually, producers took notice.

Tracy has done hair for stars like Rita Ora and Florence and the Machine.

“Lifetime TV was doing a makeover show and they wanted people with big personalities and they needed people who were licensed.” After auditioning for the part, Balan was chosen as a host on Lifetime’s ‘Girlfriend Intervention’.

“In this business you become a therapist. And that’s one thing I didn’t realize would happen.”

She still keeps in contact with many of the women she helped makeover on the show. The whole experience taught her about the passion she has for education and more importantly, she says, the importance of being licensed. “It opens up so many more doors. I test new products for companies, I serve as a spokesperson for different brands at trade shows, and my reality TV career was based on the fact that I have a cosmetology license.”

Her advice to students? “Learn as much as you can in school. That knowledge combined with your license and good marketing will get you where you want to go.”

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