October 23, 2015

WHAT ARE YOU DOING AT 1 AM?

Another LJIC success story. Congratulations to TREND VISION 2015 Grand Champion Ariadna Montanez!

It’s 1 am. For most of us, one hour past midnight means we’re sleeping. But most of us aren’t La’ James International Collegecosmetology student Ariadna Montanez. For Ariadna, 1 am means her alarm just went off. 1 am means LJIC TREND VISION 2015starts in seven hours. 1 am means… IT’S GO TIME!

Five sisters. That’s how this all started. Ariadna is the eldest of the Montanez family and grew up working to make her siblings look good.

“I’ve liked doing hair since I was little. I’m the oldest… so I did it a lot,” she says.

Sometimes, Ariadna made her sister the envy of the neighborhood, other times it didn’t go as well. That was then, now Ariadna has the training she needs to make people look beautiful every time.

A year ago, Ariadna attended LJIC’s Trend Vision as a spectator. She was inspired and started thinking how she could take home a trophy in 2015.

It’s 4 am now. Ariadna has spent the last three hours utilizing all the tips and tricks and training she has learned at LJIC’s Fremontcampus over the last year. She’s using her sisters as models for the competition, the same sisters she’s been working on all her life. But it’s 4 am now. It’s time to take her kids to the babysitter and start the four hour drive to the competition in Des Moines. It’s 4 am… IT’S GO TIME.

It’s 8:05 am. The sunrise is over. The event begins at 8 am but Ariadna and her sisters are just now pulling into the Trend Vision parking lot. She’s only slept an hour. She’s making last minute alterations, fixing this, adjusting that. Her adrenaline is flowing. It’s 8:05 am, IT’S GO TIME.

For the competitors, Trend Vision is a grueling day. Ariadna entered multiple competitions and lost the first two but was able to take 1st place in the Avant Garde category. But would one win be enough to take home the Grand Champion title? When the time came to announce the Grand Campion Ariadna turned to her sister and said: “we’re not going to win.”

The sleepless night had sapped her spirit. Hope felt distant, it all felt like a giant waste of time. Fatigue seeped in. Despair was thick and heavy.

But strong women like Ariadna and her sisters, they don’t quit easily. Strong women like Ariadna have a drive to thrive. For strong women like Ariadna, these stories don’t end with sadness.

“When [the announcement came and] they said I won Grand Champion… I didn’t know what to do!” the joy in Ariadna voice makes the next part of her statement unnecessary: “It was worth it.”

It’s nearly 8:30 pm. It’s dark. Ariadna arrives home. She’s glad to see her kids. She’s happy her sisters tasted success. She knows her bed is going to feel good. It’s 8:30 pm… IT’S TROPHY TIME.

Sacrifices, hard word and determination, that’s what it takes to be Grand Champion. Congratulations Ariadna, you have all three!

What’s your plan for taking home a Trend Vision trophy next year? Contact an LJIC Career Planner today at 888.880.2108 or visit www.LJIC.edu!

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