Barbering Students Succeeds Thanks, In Part, to Back to Work Grant
Emily Griffith Technical College offers many exciting programs, including barbering. The course falls under the college of Creative Arts and Design, which also offers certificates in cosmetology, esthetician, massage, culinary arts, and multimedia and video production.
One student, Austin Schrader, touts the barbering program. He decided to go back to school in his 40s. When choosing a new career, he decided that attending Emily Griffith Technical College was the best step.
Prior to becoming a student at Emily Griffith, Austin was a tour guide, taking people on microbrew tours and giving tours at the state capitol, to name a few.
All of it was great until the pandemic hit.
“It didn’t pan out like we hear so much of,” he says.
He chose Emily Griffith Technical College because of its deep roots in Denver. And he has much respect for the late Emily Griffith herself.
“I know her history, I used to talk about her to visitors at the state capitol,” he says.
That’s because Emily Griffith herself has a stained glass window at the capitol, and he used to show it to patrons.
Perhaps the biggest challenge he faced was entering school again later in life.
“To come back to this at 44 years old, to not work and to go back on a tight budget and to figure out how to pay for this education, that was the biggest challenge,” he says.
It was a financial adjustment, especially because he has a wife and two daughters. But, he was able to get some grants, including the Back to Work scholarship.
“It was absolutely huge to qualify and receive some of these grants because they helped clear the way for getting this done,” he says
As things started stabilizing financially for him and his wife, he was able to enjoy the rewarding aspects of being back in school.
“I’m in school with people of all ages, so that’s been fun,” Austin says.
Not only people his age, but people half his age. He really enjoyed the diversity.
“To be learning a skill that is pretty much recession proof, can be used over and over. It can be used either to make money or just to make someone feel better. I mean there’s a lot of rewarding aspects to coming back to school,” he says.
He finished classes last month and looks forward to getting a job in the barbering field, thanks to Emily Griffith.
“It’s a great opportunity for people looking for alternatives, because people are starting to realize that the alternatives aren’t the best,” Austin says.
Sara Holzberlein is the Dean of Emily Griffith’s College of Creative Arts and Design. She says that the barbering and cosmetology programs are the most popular in her department. And, she’s proud that Emily Griffith Technical College works hard to make sure finances aren’t a roadblock for students.
“We really strive to have students graduate our programs without debt,” she says. That means students don’t have to worry about loan payments when they’re done. “And so they can go straight forward with starting their career.”
Scholarships like the Back to Work grant allow students to have a more stress-free environment, meaning they aren’t constantly worried about money.
“For anyone who is doing a U-Turn in life and comes back to get a certificate to move in a different direction — again, having that self-confidence, ‘I don’t have to worry about these things… these finances…’ gives you that sense, ‘I can study, I can relax and I can really dive into the passion that I’ve just now chosen for my next phase of life.’”
Another cool aspect of these programs is that the public gets to take advantage of them too. Emily Griffith has five student-run businesses: Emily’s Cafe, the massage clinic, a barbershop and salon, and Emily’s spa.
“For a reduced cost, you get a service. You can get a facial, you can get a massage, and you’re providing the students with an opportunity to practice, and to do what they’re learning and to learn,” she says.
Community events and work-based learning is a huge part of hands-on training. It also allows Emily Griffith students to give back to society.
For example, barbering and cosmetology students go to senior living facilities the second Tuesday of the month to do nails and cut hair for free.
“They practice the chance to talk with clients, because that’s a skill set they have to learn. And that’s a community that needs attention. And it’s a really great opportunity and they spend the entire day there,” Holzberlein says.
It’s also very heartwarming, she adds. Barbering students do haircuts for the community on Colfax for our unhoused neighbors, and they also go to elementary schools to do haircuts for children.
“It’s a great way to give back, and to serve and to get exposure and to practice for them,” she says.
Don Michael Lynn took 22 years off from the barber industry. He went into law enforcement and eventually got his masters in teaching. But, he never used his masters degree. That’s because his sister wanted his help opening a barbershop in Denver.
Barbering is in their blood. They’re both fourth generation Italian barbers from the Bronx, New York. Their grandmother had a barber shop in Manhattan for 53 years.
They ended up in Colorado, and after he helped his sister, he decided to go back to school and open his own shops. He’s now the owner of barber shops, shave parlors and social clubs. He has five total and his sister now owns two. The chain is called Lucky 27.
He chose Emily Griffith’s barbering program.
“I liked the fact that it was a part of the Denver School District, that it had a rich history. It felt like the family-owned business I was going back into,” he says.
That was in 2017, and he said it felt like home.
“I come from a very diverse place, the Bronx, New York, so I was very comfortable as far as that went.”
He’s super proud that he’s now a successful business owner. He also brags that his classmates from Emily Griffith boast success.
“There are probably four kids from that class who are now barbershop owners in Colorado,” Don says.
And that right there is enough to convince anyone to take the plunge and enroll in classes at Emily Griffith, he says.
“I would tell them to give themselves an opportunity to learn and be successful. It’s very important to go to a school that is designed to give you the best education.”