This week's STEMbassador is one of my favorites yet.
Ms Geraldine Lasiter is the Executive Director of the Professional School of Cosmetology, a non-profit cosmetology school in Cleveland's inner-city Hough neighborhood.
Professional School of Cosmetology was created to build economic self-sufficiency in underserved low-income residents of Cleveland, Ohio. The program has a focus on low-income minority single mothers residing in the Hough community. PSOC also educates disabled vets and residents returning to the community from the penal system to help them gain self-sufficiency.
"We want to give them a career," says Lasiter.
Cosmetology covers hair care, hair design, nail care, skin care, business, and personal skills. Biology, anatomy, chemistry, geometry, accounting and logistics are all critical areas of study. A Cosmetology curriculum entails 1500 hours of study and clinic (salon) time. Hair designers take 1200 hours. Manicuring is a 200 hour course load. Estheticians take 600 hours, and barbers have an 1800 hour curriculum.
Typically full tuition for cosmetology programs range between $15,000 and $27,000. PSOC works to find funding that will enable participants to receive a Cosmetology education without taking out a loan. Students pursuing cosmetology as a career path will find that there are many grant programs in place to help them achieve their goals. Grants are available from a variety of sources, including the Federal and state governments, colleges and vocational schools and professional associations. Usually the total for PSOC students will come in between $2500 and $3000.
To date, the school celebrates a 100% graduation rate with 100% of those graduates successfully passing the state licensing exam.
The work is not easy and Lasiter's "zero-tolerance" policy means students must stay focused.
Enrollment into the program is open every two months. The next start date for classes is January 7, 2019, which means prospective students who want to start January 7th need to pre-enroll now.
"These women enroll to better their lives," says Lasiter. "We are not able to effectively continue to provide quality services to these deserving privilege individuals with out your help." Donations are needed to help the program grow.
To learn more about the Professional School of Cosmetology, visit the website
STEMbassadors, a part of our multi-year, multi-platform initiative called Growing Curiosity| Girls in STEM, is a weekly segment featured Friday at 7PM on WKYC that highlights women and girls doing great things in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).