Compete nationally as a student

HAHD Student Haley Vondracek on Competition

Haley Vondracek details what it means to compete as a student at Hays Academy of Hair Design

When I started at Hays Academy of Hair Design I came in with a positive mindset. I had one major goal that I really wanted to accomplish; to compete in one of the hair shows. When Mrs. Markley announced that there would be a hair competition that would take place in Chicago, Illinois, I already new I was going to find myself a model and enter. I found my model that was actually one of my classmates and close friends, also another classmate and friend that would do the makeup.

The trend I chose was past forward. For that, I had to use my creativity of bringing past hair styles, makeup and wardrobe to the present. The day came where we had to prep the model and take pictures to send into Wella TrendVision. I entered and the results came back that I made it! My heart dropped when I found out. I realized at that moment that this had to be a skill of mine. I was so excited to be competing in a hair show that I had always dreamed of. We then went to Chicago where I didn’t place, but it was such a great learning experience.

A couple months later, I then had the choice to enter into the National Wella TrendVision competition. The day came where they announced the top 25 of each category and I placed! It made me so nervous cause I had to wait another 2 weeks until we found out the top 7 in each category. It was an amazing feeling to discover that I was chosen! I was so ecstatic that I didn’t know what to do in that moment when I found out! I couldn’t believe this small town girl was going to a big city to compete in a national hair show! We went to Los Angeles, California for NATVA and I didn’t place there either but I took so much more from that trip than the first. Seeing professional stylists and students create different and unusual hairstyles, and being in such an uplifting environment was awesome. From my experiences with hair shows, I have fallen in love even more with the cosmetology career field and I can’t tell you how much I have learned. I am so grateful to have experienced these wonderful opportunities. It has been an amazing honor to represent Hays Academy of Hair Design in the Regional and National Wella TrendVision shows. I wouldn’t trade the school I chose for anything.

If you are thinking about a career in cosmetology and the opportunity to compete, you really need to click here and see what Hays Academy of Hair Design is all about.