Sometimes, the thing you end up loving isn’t the thing you would have originally chosen as your first choice. Briton Malone experienced that with the beauty industry, finding out that beauty was a field she was able to go into many years after she graduated high school. Read on to discover more about how Briton explored her options at Ogle School.

Briton Malone’s Opportunity

Why did you decide on cosmetology?

Well, it wasn’t my first option. I graduated high school in 2016. I was actually homeschooled. I nannied for two years after I graduated, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I didn’t want to go to university because school is not my favorite thing. I don’t like math, it’s just not my favorite.

My mom actually found an ad for this school. She entered my information in, and I was getting calls and texts from Tisha from admissions, asking me to come in for an interview. So, I was like, “Yeah, sure.” I came in and took the tour, and actually ended up enrolling that day, a couple of hours after I came in, because it just felt like it was kind of like a spur-of-the-moment thing. I felt maybe this was fate. I took a chance and I fell in love with it.

Why did you choose Ogle School?

As I said, this was the only school that I had toured, the only school I had ever even thought of coming to. It was super local. I came in. Everybody was super welcoming. They waved at me. They said hi. They asked, “Are you thinking of coming to school here, like cosmetology or an esthetics program?” And I was like, “Oh, cosmetology, for sure.” And they were like, “Oh, my gosh, your hair is so pretty. You know how to do your make-up.” And it’s something I realized that I’m super passionate about. And I think coming here just kind of set that in stone.

Who is your support system?

My support group is awesome. It’s my mom, and my sister, and my boyfriend, and everybody that’s come out and supported me here. I’m constantly asking everyone, “Come see me before I graduate.” My support system is what gets me through the rough days and all the long weeks, and this whole year and a half, ultimately. Just having their support and all my friends and everyone who just happened to be there for me is awesome, and I’m so thankful for them.

What are your fondest cosmetology memories?

So, I got asked to be a model for TrendVision, which was totally like—I was like, “Oh, my gosh, that would be so cool.” I didn’t know what it was. A student from the night program had come up to me and asked me, “Will you be my model?” And I was like, “Yeah, that would be awesome.” We started prepping for that, I think it was February, for TrendVision.

We entered TrendVision, and didn’t end up making it, but did make it to Face Off. I got to walk the stage at Face Off. It was super fun, the runway competition. I ended up placing second. We were so close to winning! But it was the coolest experience ever, seeing all the different hairstyles and all the different people, and what they can do with hair.

After that, I was put on Success Team, which is like our student council. That has been awesome because I never saw myself as a leader, necessarily, but my teacher, Jenna, she thought otherwise. I’m so thankful for her pushing me to be on Success Team. I applied for that and made it on there. And then I applied for Beacon, which is a business convention. It’s in Long Beach, which will be in January. I’m super excited about that and just so grateful for all the experiences that I’ve given in school.

Can you tell us about your instructors?

I would say my favorite two instructors are Jenna and Ms. T. Ms. T is our Phase 2 instructor, she’s awesome. She’s amazing at men’s cuts. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know what I would do. And then Jenna, of course, she’s amazing. She’s so encouraging. She’s so knowledgeable. I mean, she knows everything. And our other sub, Ms. Placek, I love her. I’m so thankful for her too.

I’ve learned so much from them, more than I ever thought I would ever take away from this experience, coming in and knowing absolutely nothing about hair. It’s been awesome to have their training under my belt. So yeah, I love them.

What are your goals?

My goals are just to be as successful as I can be in this industry. It’s a huge industry, but I want to be able to make a name for myself, be able to open up a booth one day, and possibly, own a salon in the future. I just want to be the best that I can be. Find big clientele, and make a lot of money for my family.

What are the obstacles that you’ve overcome?

I would definitely say the biggest obstacle would be having to work full-time and come to school at night. The first couple of months that I started here, I wasn’t working because I actually did not find a job anywhere that would work with my schedule. Everybody wanted people to work at night. I was applying everywhere, just all kinds of different jobs, another nanny job, and even working at restaurants. And I finally applied to a salon as a receptionist. I ended up getting that job. So that’s been very good having that experience under my belt at the salon.

But definitely, having to wake up, go to work, come straight here, work here until 10:00-10:30, go home, and wake up, and do the same thing every day for 18 months. It’s hard but I feel like I’m more prepared for the hard times once I get out there in the real world, and you know, have to work long days and be like, “You know, no problem.” I went to night school for 18 months, so I can do anything!

Discover Your Own Beautiful Story

Even if you don’t yet know whether beauty is your ideal career, we believe at Ogle School that the beauty industry should be an option that you’re at least able to explore. Whether you’re interested in the cosmetology program or the esthetics program, Ogle School offers many opportunities for up-and-coming artists to learn. Request more information today to learn more about your options.