Growing up I was always known as the smart one and my almost-twin (11 months to the day) sister was known as the beauty. These were the roles we embraced since this is all we heard. I excelled in school while my sister placed in pageants.
When it came time to graduate, I went to the local college, Marshall University, for pre-med while my sister looked into beauty schools. But I was jealous. I had been harboring a passion for art and fashion for as long as I could remember. I wanted to chase my dreams just as my sister was doing. I was contemplating beauty school when I got the best/worst news of my life: I was pregnant. So I did what I thought was right: drop out of school and get a job.
That was more than two years ago. This past April, my fiancé lost his job. It hit us hard. I told him this may be the opportunity to find a job he loves not just one that pays the bills. "What about you?" he asked. "I would love to go to beauty school," I answered casually. The next day he came home with a brochure and I enrolled that same day at Charleston School of Beauty Culture in Charleston, W.Va.
I'm so thankful to have a great support system (friends in the beauty industry, fiancé, and family) to get me through this process. I plan to start school June 3 and I will go five days a week. West Virginia requires nail technicians to complete 400 hours so I should be done in 11 weeks. I can't wait to start this process. It really is never too late to chase your dreams!
— April Greenlees
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