Westfair Online Videos As loans dry, cosmetology prospects must wait
As loans dry, cosmetology prospects must wait
SoNo Academy, a cosmetology vocational school in South Norwalk, has been holding its collective breath while the lack of student financial aid has critically stunted growth.
The school was founded by husband and wife Thea and George Tsiranides almost two years ago.
“I’ve always been in the business end of things,” said George. “My wife had the idea of opening a school from a stylist’s point of view. In salons it’s not hard to find help, but it’s hard to find people who have been trained properly. A lot of schools seemed to be pushing people through and teaching them just enough to take the test.”
George said in addition to teaching students to pass the certification test, the academy provides hands-on situational training in its 13-month program.
“Just because you have a drivers license doesn’t mean you know how to drive,” said George. “When Thea opened this, she wanted to teach individuals interested in the industry properly, this was generated from her passion.”
George’s history can be traced to design and marketing done with Nine West, the apparel company. Thea, who has worked as a high-end hairstylist in Stamford, recently opened Salon 126 in New Canaan with her brother, Ralph Roina.
“I’ve been in business for 18 years and I consider myself a true professional and I love this industry like no other,” said Thea. “There wasn’t a true training facility that got individuals going into the industry prepared and excited.”
In addition to being a school, SoNo Academy also has a functioning salon that allows its students to have workplace training. The school also has associations with Rusk Inc., a Stamford-based manufacturer of hair care products and devices, which is instrumental in the school and allows students to see another side of the industry.
“We’ve got this great school right here in our backyard, it’s mutually beneficial,” said Brooke Carlson, vice president and general manager of Rusk Inc. “We can help take their students to another level. SoNo is probably the most progressive and the most modern of the schools that I’m in contact with across the country. The level of student is exceptional.”
Thea said in the first year in business the school was growing exponentially with little reason to think that the interest garnered would slip.
“Everything was going well,” said Thea. “We were doing what we were supposed to be doing.”
Though the interest continued to rise, the financial markets did slip and Sallie Mae, the country’s largest college student loan company, stopped offering loans.
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