AHA MOMENTS

Current La’ James International College Esthetics student, mother of two and the former manager of a turkey farm is determined to get an education and live her dreams.

How Do You Define Courage?

It’s been said that courage is when you’re scared, but you go anyway. Changing directions mid-life can be scary. But if you ‘go anyway,’ good things can happen. Or at least that’s the lesson learned by La’ James International College student Jamie Drudik.

“My most difficult moment was starting,” she says. “I wasn’t fresh out of high school. I had been in the working world for over 8 years, so starting over in school was a huge, scary step.”

How did this wife and mother of two get here?

Let’s Talk Turkey.

Before enrolling at LJIC, Jamie used to manage a turkey farm. Every day she’d drive to work and take care of baby birds, she’d do maintenance and she’d clean.

“I always liked working with animals,” she says. “But it wasn’t the creative outlet that I wanted. It was a very physical job.”

Jamie grew up in Nebraska and currently lives in Fredericksburg, Iowa. She’s been around agriculture her whole life. She’s worked on pig farms. She’s sold beef related products. But she always knew that there was something missing.

After one long day at the turkey farm, Jamie says she came home and her loving and supportive husband asked her, “Do you see yourself working at this job for the next five to ten years?”

Jamie answered “no.”

“I hit a point when I would come home and not be happy with what I was doing,” she says. “I had to do something different.”

Distinctively Different?

Jamie could have gone to beauty schools that were closer to home. But instead, she chose to make the 50-minute commute every day to LJIC in Cedar Falls. She says La’ James International College offered the actual hands-on learning that she wanted.

“I wanted the interactive classes,” she says. “I started school and haven’t looked back. Best decision I ever made for myself and my family. It’s never too late to start school and better yourself.”

Now, Jamie is looking forward to a career that she’s passionate about and genuinely loves. She’s excited to help people with their skin care needs, to help them relax, and to feel better about themselves.

“I love it,” Jamie says about helping clients. “I get to be creative. Giving [people] a whole new look… a whole transformation. It’s exciting!”

Want to learn more about La’ James International College & all the programs offered? Visit www.LJIC.edu or call 888-880-2108 Today!
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