Today we’d like to introduce you to Katlyn Harvey.
Hi Katlyn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
You know I actually taught myself how to braid on my cabbage patch horse, with her yarn mane and her bow. I grew up watching my grandma do hair and I always loved looking for new things to try. I was originally planned on majoring in criminal justice and even q we as enrolled in the homeland security program at Keiser University. It didn’t really work out though, as you can tell, I strayed pretty far from my plan. I dropped out of the program about two months in and served at my uncle’s for a year and a half before they closed. My best friend was the one who actually started talking about going to cosmetology school, which in turn lead me to the Aveda Institute in Orlando. After only two weeks of looking into programs, I was enrolled at Aveda and started classes March of 2019. It was a big adjustment; at the time, we were dealing with my grandma’s cancer diagnosis and juggling chemo and work schedules. She was my biggest supporter; she made sure I was able to take three days from helping her out to attend classes in Orlando. I was going between classes Thursday through Saturday from 9-8 and working at Target any of the days I wasn’t getting education or taking my nana to chemo and doctor’s appointments.
I struggled at the beginning, juggling everything but eventually, I decided to quit Target and focus on my schooling. Cosmetology school was pretty much everything I thought it would be. I quickly learned I much preferred color services to haircuts and that I’d found what I was the most excited to do with my life. The first five months went smoothly but then towards the end of July, my grandma’s health declined and she passed the day before my dad’s birthday. It didn’t really hit me that first week but then they scheduled the funeral to be in Georgia, where she was from and I couldn’t really work up the courage to go. So while my family celebrated her life, I took a week off from schooling and stayed with my best friend in Clearwater. Those next few months were pretty rough for me and I sort of lost the motivation I had for cosmetology. Luckily I ended up at an interview at the Lucille Jane Salon the week after my 21st birthday in September, and if that wasn’t fate, I don’t know what is. I was pretty closed off at first but the owner Lindsey made it pretty easy to open up and managed to help me remember why I got into doing hair in the first place.
Almost a year into my schooling and apprenticeship at the salon, Ms. Corona made a grand appearance. Not only did she shut down workplaces but she postponed my schooling, which put me even farther back than I already was. Graduation and testing for my license should’ve taken place in April; unfortunately, it was another nine months before I was eventually able to test for my license. And man were those the longest nine months of my (and I’m sure everyone else’s) life. I fought with the Aveda Institute’s financial aid department for those nine months just to have them release my transcripts, which they wouldn’t allow until I paid off the remaining of my loans. It seemed like just another obstacle put in my way to evade me from continue doing something I was passionate about it.
But luckily, I have the most supportive and loving family who helped me with paying off my loans so I could finally start my dream career. And here I am two years later, licensed and trying my best to make a name for myself in the midst of a global pandemic. I would have given up a long time ago if I didn’t have the family and the coworkers, who are more like sisters now, that I do. I’m incredibly grateful for my family for believing in me. I also will be trying my best to repay my soul sisters, Lindsey, Kristina, and Bri, for putting up with my anxious, jittery self and for helping with the making of the best version of myself. I look forward to making everyone who sits in my chair feel that confidence and beauty they all possess, but it just might take so highlights and a haircut to remind them. That first year here at the salon was an absolute ride, between being a brand new salon and stylist to being in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, well it was definitely one for the books.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely been more of a rollercoaster ride for me. I struggled with the passing of my grandmother five months into my schooling. Then I started a new job and then we were hit with the global pandemic. And man were those six weeks we were shut down a doozy. I struggled through my depression and my financial issues. And the school did not make it any easier for me. I technically graduated before I finished my program, which was a little weird. I had originally enrolled in a 1500 hour program, the requirement for Florida is only 1200, but they made having those extra 300 hours seem as though I’d be given more opportunities. Which wasn’t really case the more I got into the program, and I even attempted to switch my hour requirements but they wouldn’t allow me. It was just one thing after another, really. I fought with the financial aid department for months after getting the state-required amount of hours, just to be able just to have my transcripts available so I could apply for testing. In order to receive my transcripts, I had to pay the nearly $7,000 that was left in my 36-month payment plan, in which I still had a year to pay back. And then, by the first of this year, I was finally able to take my cosmetology test. It was the longest 21 months of my life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a hairstylist, my goal is to make the people who sit in my chair feel like the confident, beautiful humans being they are. My absolute favorite part of being a stylist is being able to be creative. Coloring and styling is really where my heart is at. There’s nothing more satisfying than pulling that foil at the bowl, seeing that dimension and those fine lines. And it’s incredible what you can do with a few Bobby pins, hair ties and hairspray. My proudest moment is always when I see the look on my client’s face when they see what I’ve created. When they walk out the salon with a pep in their step and all the confidence oozing off of them. I don’t really think too much sets me apart from other stylists. We all work incredibly hard at honing our craft and being confident in what we do. I’m only 22 and I still have a lot to learn but I do know that this is what I want to do as a career.
How do you think about luck?
I think I’ve had a little bit of both. I had good luck in finding a salon where my superior wants to see me succeed in all the things I do. I had bad luck in my timing of deciding my career path with the pandemic hitting us hard in the middle of my schooling. But I think it all balances itself out. You really learn how hard you’re willing to work when you’re struggling to get people in your chair because they’re too afraid to leave their homes. You also learn to have a lot of patience because sometimes there’s days just waiting for a client to walk in.
Contact Info:
- Email: hairbykatlyndianne @gmail.com
- Website: www.lucillejanesalon.com
- Instagram: @hairbykatlyndianne
- Facebook: Hair by Katlyn Dianne
Image Credits
Moth and Moon Photography
