Woodruff Career and Technical Center is expanding its course offerings. Next year, the school plans to add fire science and EMT pathways.
Two years ago, Woodruff was one of the first schools in Illinois outside of Chicago to offer a course in hair braiding. The class allows high school students the ability to get a professional license after successfully completing 300 hours of practical experience.
Woodruff juniorArshiana Robinson-Walker says she first got interested in hair braiding long before she knew she could do it as a class.
“I always wanted to do hair, ever since I was little," Robinson-Walker said.
Robinson-Walker says her grandmother and aunt used to braid her hair and it’s something that became an important part of her life.
“So as I got older, and I said I want to do this, I want to do hair. And when I came to Woodruff, when I learned about this program, I thought, I have to do that,” Robinson-Walker said.
She signed up for Lacy Simmon’s braiding class. Simmons is also a licensed cosmetologist.
“I try to work on a lot of aspects of the business with them. Because through the years, some of the stuff I might not know how to do as well," Simmons said. "But my character, my personality, just being there for your client, it helps.”
When Simmons was looking at career options, a certification for hair braiding didn’t exist. So when the state of Illinois passed a law requiring a license for braiding in 2011, Simmons saw an opportunity:
“It would have been easy to go teach adults, when the licensing came into effect, but this was was special because there was no venue for them,” Simmons said.
Simmons says she also wanted to break down what she calls a “taboo” or stigma surrounding the practice.
“One lady who’s been coming to me for about 20 years, she’s an airline stewardess. You can’t wear braids for a certain airline. It’s not accepted as professional, so they would make her take them down," Simmons said. "I think there’s still some segregated things going on, and stereotypes associated with braids.”
She says it’s an unfair social prejudice that, intentionally or not, creates racial divides. But, Simmons is proud to say that the makeup of her class is racially diverse.
“It’s the whole rainbow, so that makes me feel good about getting rid of stereotypes,” Simmons said.
There’s another stigma that her pupils are confronting. It’s the notion that students going to vocational schools aren’t ambitious. Or have nothing else going for them.
“The stigmatism is ‘oh I’m going to college, I don’t need Woodruff.’ Even people going to college need Woodruff. Kids are walking out of here with college credits. Career education is just another opportunity that will help you grow,” Revonda Johnson, Peoria Public Schools’ Academic Instructional Officer said.
Johnson is essentially the district’s cheerleader for career and technical education. In fact, she calls it the new college.
“It’s a mind shift for those of us who’ve been in education for a long time, because that’s not how we’ve done things," Johnson said. "But I think it’s a positive mind shift, unlike a lot of the other mandates or ideas that come along.”
But she says it’s more practical, especially given the rising cost of college tuition.
"Our goal is to make sure high school is more effective guiding them in the right direction, putting them in courses that are meaningful,” Johnson said.
Which brings us back to Woodruff Student Arshiana Robinson-Walker. In addition to getting her hair braiding license, she’s planning on joining the military and getting a business degree. Her ultimate dream, she says, is to open her own hair salon, sort of a reinterpreted day spa that would also serve soul food.
“A lot of people in my family cook soul food. So I want half, while you’re getting your hair and your nails done, you can be eating, too,” Robinson-Walker said.
In the meantime, Robinson-Walker is focusing on braiding because she says, she enjoys making her clients feel beautiful and fierce.
As the students work toward completing those 300 hours, they offer free braiding services to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Though, tips are welcomed, Simmons said.