Spotlight on Ms. Dani, Cosmetology CTE Facilitator and Care Team Member

Meet Ms. Dani, Empower Generations’ dedicated cosmetology facilitator in our Career Technical Education (CTE) program as well as a valued Care Team member. Ms. Dani brings her cosmetology experience and social-emotional leadership to her work with our learners, empowering them for success in high school and beyond.

Please tell us about your background and how you came to be at Empower Generations.

I was working as a freelance cosmetologist and ran my own business for about five years prior to coming to work for Empower Generations. Things were not taking off as I had expected with my business, so I knew I had to make a change. In addition to the beauty industry, I felt a love for education. My son was also a driving force, as I wanted my schedule to mirror his school schedule and be home with him. I started working for Empower Generations in 2018 and was completely apprehensive because I had never worked with teenagers before. And then the adventure at Empower Generations began!

What do you LOVE about Empower Generations? What sets it apart from other schools?

I love that Empower Generations offers work/life balance. The flexibility has been so great! The staff have always been a pleasure to work with, I’ve been fortunate to have great bosses, and the kids are lovable.

What’s the best part about your role? What’s the biggest challenge? 

The best part of my role is teaching what I love, imparting ideas and creativity about the beauty industry.

My biggest challenge is figuring out how to get our learners to understand their potential and how to maintain consistency through a grit mind-set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What are some other responsibilities you enjoy at Empower Generations?

As a Care Team member, I push in with groups of learners as well as do one-on-ones, which allows for tutoring sessions.

There are great social-emotional learning opportunities at Empower Generations. Can you share a story about seeing learners using them in action?

Empower Generations has taken opportunities to incorporate SEL in Advisory. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Advisory learners on different SEL activities, and I appreciate the engagement and vulnerability the learners display. For example, recently I worked with a learner on self-awareness. This learner set a goal in the first semester of school to work on anger issues and build more tolerance. I definitely saw growth and reminded this learner of the promise they made to themselves.

Please give us a few examples of hands-on project-based learning in your classroom.

Three examples of PBL are as follows:

1. Prom: For the past two years, we have worked with Antelope Valley Partners for Health to help learners feel and look their best at prom. I create appointments for learners to try on fancy attire and give them the choice of getting hair and makeup done. The first year doing it this way resulted in me working on learners’ hair and makeup, which was a success, but in the second year I turned it into a learner-led project, and I had about four cosmetology class learners volunteer to do prom hair and makeup. It was exciting, and the learners who chose to get beautified were so thrilled and trusted the whole process. The cosmetology learners were so pumped and inspired to become cosmetologists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2. CTE Practicum: In cosmetology class, we have two lab days per week. On those lab days, I will plan a fun activity having to do with hair, skin, or nails. Recently, I showed learners how to file specific shapes and polish natural and press-on nails. My learners were able to experience this themselves by using files, buffers, artificial nails, and polishes. This was followed up with an exit ticket that contained questions on the activity, such as their takeaways and whether they see themselves becoming nail techs in the future.

3. Journey Mapping: In an eight-week PBL art class, learners were required to design pieces (experiences) of their own life journeys. They needed to draw certain pieces each week that had a theme. For example, for the theme “First Time,” they may have focused on their experience of learning to ride a bike. For “Cultural Connection,” they focused on traditions and food. In week seven, their project was to creatively put each piece together in the order in which these events happened to create a complete Journey Map from birth until present day. They had fun thinking of past memories and creatively presenting them.

In your opinion, what makes a great leader? How do you teach leadership?

I believe a great leader is someone who effectively communicates, inspires others, and upholds integrity.

Teaching leadership requires being a strong example of what a leader looks like. In addition, finding examples of successful leaders can teach learners about leadership skills and performing services for their own communities.

What are four fun facts about you?

1. 1. I love food…and soda!
   2. I am an artist. I love to work with pastels and charcoal.
   3. I am a cosmetologist.
   4. I am an educator.

Join us in celebrating Ms. Dani, whose heart shines through in her commitment to effectively communicate and lead by example. As an artist, cosmetologist, and educator, she is an inspiration to our learners and our team.