Instructor Spotlight—Q&A With Shanah Nichols

PJ’s College is proud of all of our staff and instructors that continue to strive to provide the best educational experience possible to our students. Recently, we sat down with Shanah Nichols to learn more about her passion for cosmetology and what drives her as an educator.

Q: What is your history with PJ’s College? 

A: I was a student here and then I went out to work in the salon for about a year and a half. Then I came back to take the Junior Educator course and I have been here now for 13 and a half years.

 Q: What got you interested in cosmetology and then instructing?

A: Honestly, my Grandmother did hair and she had her own beauty salon pretty much all of my childhood life. I just remember all of the fun that happened there, the magic that she made. She kind of inspired me.

Q:  Why did you decide to be an instructor at PJ’s? 

A: While I was a student there were a few things that I struggled with…I watched other students struggling as well and I loved to help them learn how to do the things I had struggled with and finally learned how to do. I got a lot of enjoyment out of helping them. I realized it was something I enjoy and could be good at doing.

Q:  What is your favorite part about working for PJ’s? 

A: I think that my favorite thing would be meeting all of the different types of people. Each student is a different challenge, so it’s something new for us each day to do and different challenges for each student. The most rewarding part is the day they graduate and you see all of the things they have overcome throughout their time here.

Q: What is the best advice you could give to someone new in the field? 

A: If it’s easy, it’s not worth it. You have to work hard in this program.

Q: What do you think has helped you be successful as a cosmetologist and instructor? 

A: Honestly, I believe it was trial and error. Learning as I go and making mistakes and learning from them. I think mistakes are your stepping stones in life and you have to make them to learn from them.

Q: What are you most excited about when you think about the future of the beauty industry? 

A: I think the whole aspect of it—the art changes everyday. Color techniques, cutting techniques. We went from books to online. It just evolves day by day. I think that the whole industry is exciting.

Q: What is a mantra or saying that has helped you throughout your life? 

A: I always tell them [the students] that hitting walls and getting scars make them who they are—they just have to keep going. You know our students have battles everyday. Not just with their educations but with their home lives. A lot of them go through death or divorces… They go through a lot of hardships while they are trying to better their own life, and we just try to encourage them to not give up.

Q: Why do you personally recommend beauty school as a training option?  

A: I would tell them that they get to express themselves, as far as who they truly are inside, through the art of cosmetology.

Q: Why would you recommend a cosmetologist make the transition to becoming an educator?

A: Being an educator is one of the most rewarding things, besides being a mother, that I have done. Helping the students get from point A to point B and watching their struggles and helping them overcome them. You know if they’re weak in hair cutting but they’re strong in hair coloring, getting them on an even keel where they feel confident. Helping them build their confidence and watching them graduate. It is the most rewarding part of it.

Q: What is your favorite trend or hairstyle you love to do right now?

A: I’m obsessed with balayaging. Because it is endless on what you can do with that color technique. It’s amazing—there is so much you can do with it.