North American Trend Vision Awards is at the heart and soul of what we live for… Every year we wait to see the Top 25 semi-finalists and then the finalists leading their models down the runway. We can’t help but get excited as we think back to our very first NATVA and how it helped shape our futures.

Tell us about the moment you knew that one day you would be a hair stylist?

Gosh, as long as I could remember I wanted to do hair. I think I really knew I for sure needed to be a hairstylist and that I enjoyed it was when I was in middle school. My girlfriends use to come over to my house before we caught the bus so that I could style their hair. I always loved having my hands in hair. I always noticed hairstyles and hair trends at an early age. I’ve always been obsessed with anything hair!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Oh Gosh…. That’s such a hard question. Only because I want to do EVERYTHING!! I think my life and being a hairdresser is so fun because I literally never know what’s coming my way and I never really have a plan. When I was at Trend Vision last year I never thought I’d be entering trend vision the following year.. I thought that would be like 5 years down the line, haha! Honestly, I really hope to own my own salon. I am really excited to create an energy and vibe in my very own space.

How does competing help you as an artist?

It’s funny because I’m not a competitive person like at all. NATVA was my very first competition and I didn’t do it to be a winner. I did it for experience and to learn. Being on that stage and working in the back room with all those talented hairdressers was like a dream come true. Competing helped me as an artist more than I can imagine in so many ways. I learned to trust myself and be more confident in myself as a hairdresser. Competing made me grow as an artist because I was required to know so much about the color line, my inspiration and my look that it made me have to research and practice so much that I feel like I just gave myself 10 classes of education going through that, which when you think about it, is really freakin cool!!

What one word describes how you felt when you found out you were a finalist?

SHOCKED!! I NEVER thought I’d be a gold winner my first time entering. I’m still shocked. I cry every time I watch a video posted on my Facebook. The reason I was so shocked was because I feel like my look was soon different than everyone else’s, and their looks were all gorgeous!!

What’s one thing you would have told yourself on the first day of cosmetology school knowing what you know now?

All these questions make me laugh. This is silly but I would say “ GIRL, master your shampoos” haha I feel like I give a terrible shampoo… its more like a shower. Terribly embarrassing. But hey you’ll get a killer cut and color

What do you think the biggest struggle stylists are experiencing in the industry today?

I feel like our industry grows so much and is constantly changing techniques, color palettes and styles that it’s so important to stay up to date with them by education. Which I feel like stylist do that, but the thing I see stylist struggle with is getting your clients that have been doing the same thing for a long time change their hair into a new style. I feel like there needs to be a class on how to talk your clients into new modern looks. Also a class for stylist on how to transform their clients old look and techniques into new. Does that make sense? Hmm… I should teach a class like that!

Something most people don’t know about you.

I am pretty much an open book if you ask anyone. I would say though I don’t think I make it obvious but I am extremely insecure. I thrive off of people telling me I’ve done well at something. It’s something I’ve always struggled with personally I wish I could get rid of the feeling but I think its stuck with me and I’ve learned what things make me feel good and I think that’s the most important thing of dealing with it.

What traumatic hairstyle have you been guilty of rocking?

I can’t really remember anything that I hated and couldn’t rock.

I knew I was a Hair Nerd when…

Things remind me everyday of how much of a Hair Nerd I am. I feel like I’m pretty involved in the industry and I have been since day one. I would say every time I have watched a Hair video whether it’s a really awesome introduction to a new product from Bumble and bumble or a hair story video I always tear up from being so inspired. My first one I ever watched was the first year of doing hair 6 years ago.

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