Student Experience at College of San Mateo
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Student Experience
Haley Holmes
Haley Holmes College of San Mateo, A.A.

Haley Holmes, a 2007 graduate of Terra Nova High School, was a budding fashion designer, having taken fashion design classes in high school and college. Midway through her lower division coursework at Cañada College, Haley decided it was time to change direction and focus on a career in another area of the creative arts – cosmetology.  With relative ease, Haley transitioned to CSM’s cosmetology program, in fact, the same day she finished her last final exam at Cañada, she also attended orientation for the cosmetology program. 

While branching out in a completely different field can be daunting, the instructors and staff in CSM’s program were welcoming and quickly made Haley feel comfortable in her new surroundings. “Associate Professor Becky Boosalis was very encouraging and she’s always there for you. The instructional aides were also very helpful,” says Haley. CSM’s cosmetology program is structured similarly to working in the industry and, therefore, expectations are high, making it a challenging program. However, Haley was up for the challenge and immersed herself in her newfound major.

“CSM’s program prepared me very well for the State board exams and also gave me great preparation for working in the field. Not only were we taught the latest techniques but professors brought in notable guest speakers who were professionals from some of the most prestigious salons in the Bay Area,” explains Haley.

In a little over a year of full time studies, Haley passed her State board exams and earned her Certificate of Completion in Cosmetology.  She is currently completing the final requirements for her associate degree.

As a licensed cosmetologist, Haley finds that she has many options for working in her field. Rather than starting in a salon, she’s decided to launch her career on the road, quite literally. This summer she will be opening her own business, HNH Beauty, in what is considered to be an innovative niche market: a full service, mobile salon.  With her car stocked with her “tools of the trade” Haley will take her salon services to clients in private homes, residential communities, businesses and even sporting events.  As she progressed through her program at CSM, she recognized a need for salon services to be brought to people who, for various reasons, were either unable or too busy to get to a salon. She found the concept of the mobile salon very appealing because it allows her to make her own hours and have flexibility in her schedule. She even plans to build in time for designing clothes!

Haley’s instructor, Ms. Boosalis, has confidence that her former student has a bright future ahead of her: “Haley was always a good student, very attentive and enthusiastic in her role as a student in our program. She always looks at every experience as positive. I am sure she will be a great success in our industry.”