I've been obsessed with hair since I was five years old — it started with the Kenya Doll by Tyco commercial, and I was hooked. I practiced my braiding technique on my mannequin's hair every single day, weaving in beads until I got it right. By eight, I was braiding real hair and had taught myself how to cornrow. Since our hair was so fine, my sister and I took turns braiding each other's hair weekly.

By 7th grade, I'd moved on to makeup — spending my allowance at the beauty store on eyeshadow palettes from NYX and whatever lipgloss caught my eye (even when the quality was questionable). Looking back, every sign pointed to becoming a licensed cosmetologist.

After high school, I worked a few pharmacy jobs and started community college. One semester in, I realized: if I was paying for school myself, I might as well study something I actually loved. My sister and I drove 40 minutes to tour Paul Mitchell The School Tysons Corner, and I knew immediately — I had to enroll.

Fifteen months and 1,500 hours later, I passed my state board exam. Since then, I've worked at multiple hair salons, styled for fashion shows, and even worked for the cosmetology state board itself.