Alumni Archives - Phagans School of Hair Design

Phagans All-Star: Dinah Ritchey

Oozle Media — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 17:54:39 +0000

We can’t think of anything better than when a Phagans graduate follows their dreams and has a successful career. It was an obvious choice to have Dinah Ritchey as our first choice to be our Phagans All-Star! Dinah is a wonderful example of chasing your dreams and never giving up on yourself. Dinah graduated from Phagans in 2003 with a full cosmetology license, and right after dove into her career that led to her owning her successful salon, Urban Colorz. It was awesome to be able to take some time out of the our day and chat with Dinah about how she turned her passion into a successful career.

Have you always been interested in the world of beauty?

“I was always really into doing hair and makeup and I just decided to try it out. My plan was to go to college while working. I ended up going to Phagans and loving it so much that I stuck with it!”

What did Phagans teach you that you brought over to your business?

“I had Miss Nancy as my color teacher and she is amazing! Color is such a big thing in the industry now, and having the right teacher made the difference. That has been the most helpful thing in my career. It comes from the roots of what you’re learning.”

Tell me about the experience of opening your own salon!

“When I was in school, it was my dream to work at certain a salon that was located in downtown Portland. I went through the process there for interviews and I was hired! However, I had to wait for someone to move up as an apprentice in order to start. I had lots of clientele following me and waiting for me to be at the salon. I was doing “kitchen hair” while I was waiting on the apprenticeship and was anxious to start my career.

My mom, sister, and dad are all small business owners, and my older sister encouraged me to stop waiting and to just work for myself. I was young and kind of fearless, so I just went for it. I narrowed it down to the location we have now, and I signed the lease on the papers. Soon after the apprenticeship was available. It felt like it was meant to be. If I had gotten that job right away, this all wouldn’t have happened. It happened for a reason. It was definitely the right move.”

What is it about your salon that differs from others?

“There are a lot of “mom and pop” salons in the suburbs of portland. The trendy salons are downtown, and I couldn’t do that. I picked a central location and brought the trends and ideas to the suburbs. Originally, that is what made us stand out. Today, at the end of the day, our team atmosphere is what makes us stand out the most.”

What is your favorite part about owning your own salon?

“Everything about it. The culture I get to work in is like no other. I’m so lucky to work with the team that I have. We make our clients feel good about themselves. It’s a very rewarding job!”

What is the best part of the day at the salon?

“That’s so hard! I love every moment of the day. The relationships I form with my clients over the years is very exciting. A person can change from a client to a friend after one appointment. The joy of being able to catch up for a couple of hours while doing my work is so much fun.”

If you could give any advice to those that want to follow in your foot steps, what would it be?

“Education is HUGE! I took a big risk to open my own salon by not taking the apprenticeship. I got very lucky. The best thing that someone can to for their career is to go through an apprenticeship and go through the classes. Take advantage of school and what people can teach you. Never get discouraged. There are so many different options of online classes. Stay motivated and stay up on your education”

Thank You Dinah!

We can all agree that Dinah is a wonderful role model for all of us. She is proof that hard work pays off. It’s never too late to follow your dream and to make something out of it. Like Dinah said, “stay motivated!” Make sure to pay Dinah and her team a visit at Urban Colorz and follow their Instagram to stay up on their amazing work!

Who do you think our next spotlight should be on? Leave a comment on Facebook!

For important information about the educational debt, earnings, and completion rates of students who attended this program click for our Clackamas report.

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Alumni Profile: Samantha Borenheim

Oozle Media — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 16:24:07 +0000

Phagans School of Hair Design is like a big family and we think of our students as family members. It’s our students that make what we do so rewarding and fulfilling! We love helping them build the career of their dreams and watching them become rockstars in the beauty industry.

We like to catch up with students or graduates to ask them about their journey to becoming a beauty pro. Their answers to our questions and stories that they share are inspiring and can be a great example to younger students who are just getting started. We recently caught up with Samantha Borenheim. Samantha is not only a Phagans graduate, but worked for Phagans before enrolling in the cosmetology program.

We asked Samantha a few questions about her journey with Phagans and this is what she had to say:

How did you get involved with Phagans?
I got involved with Phagans back in May 2007 where I started in the admissions department at our Milwaukee campus, which later closed and turned into the Clackamas campus. I also worked at the Portland location for many years before attending school in the full cosmetology program at the Clackamas location. I was with Phagans for many years and consider them family.

How do you think you have changed since being at Phagans?
In the almost decade I was with phagans, I have changed considerably. I had been through many personal life changes and phagans was always there along the way to help and encourage me. I was at Phagans for almost a third of my life.
What do you like doing most?
I love making people feel beautiful! I feel honored to change how someone views theirself.
I also love doing runway and fashion shows. I like how the whole production is put together! I love making headpieces for runway shows and photoshoot, which is a new passion of mine. I love working with my clients at my day job at JCPenney. I love how JCPenney encourages their employees to be the best they can be. I love that they have training so I can continually grow.
What surprised you about beauty school?
I went from a very administrative position to starting beauty school and having to use my hand and eye coordination skills. Using a different part of my brain did not come easy. This cosmetology craft takes a lot of practice to develop! And you learn new things everyday.
What is your goal/dream now that you’ve graduated?
Now that I’ve graduated I create new goals every day and strive to be my best. I am so honored to be involved with Couve Couture and now Seattle Fashion Week. I am also the Director of Hair and Makeup for Desi Designs. And I just graduated in December 2014! But my journey has been many years in the making. My dreams are coming true, but it wasn’t easy. You have to work for it every day and make it happen. It doesn’t come to you…you have to manifest it and make it happen. I love what I do and wake up every day excited for what’s to come!
Sum up in one sentence what it means to be in the world of cosmetology.
Making people feel beautiful is my career…and I love what I do!!
Anything else?
I started off in the industry close to 20 years ago doing hair and makeup at Glamour Shot back in the 90’s and managed a salon in high school. Then I went in a very corporate direction, from Jenny Craig to the Better Business Bureau. I really feel like I finally found my home when I started with Phagans. It’s been an incredible experience!

Samantha is a great example of following your dreams and building a career that you can love. We are proud to have students like Samantha!

Follow in Samantha’s Footsteps

Do you think the beauty industry is where you belong? You can start building your new career today! Contact us and we can help you begin your journey. Whether it’s cosmetology, esthetics, barbering, or nails we want to help you find your dream job. We are excited to see what you become!

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Alumni Spotlight: 2009 Graduate Brian Pham

Oozle Media — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:49:32 +0000

Phagans graduate Brian Pham is a hairdresser and district trainer for Regis.

When did you attend Phagans?
I graduated in 2009 and was a full-course student. I chose Phagans after looking at several other schools and decided Phagans was the best out of all of them and also had financial aid available, which helped me get through school, because I didn’t have much money.

Why did you choose the beauty industry?
I changed because I was bored with my job, which was electrical engineer. I’d been doing it for about 2-1/2 years and I realized that I was more of a people-person. A few people in my family did do nails and that’s why I came to school, but then I fell in love with hair.

What are you doing now?
I’m now working at Regis Salons and I also am part of a pilot program as a district trainer – I’m in charge of five salons and out of 1,000’s of hairdressers, I was chosen to be one of the three for this program. I mainly cover the Portland Metro area, but my territory can stretch to Washington, north and south Oregon and Idaho.

Why were you chosen to be part of this pilot project?
Motivation, hard work, a drive to grow and succeed. Some stylists just do the minimum amount of work and go home and I like to work hard.

What do you like about your job?
The creativity and it’s always awesome doing a whole makeover that can change someone’s life.

What surprised you about beauty school?
The biggest thing was – is you can be what you want to be – it’s such an open career. It’s also a fun career.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about entering this industry?
My advice would be that it’s always best to be open, willing to learn, accept new ideas, be adventurous, and if you don’t like something, try until you like it and improve on it. In this industry, the more knowledge you have, the more beneficial it will be.

Thanks, Brian, it was a pleasure talking to you and we wish you continued success.

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Phagans Success Story – Former Student Opens Her First Portland Salon

Oozle Media — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:17:08 +0000

When Heidi Aldana worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant one of her favorite parts of the job was working on patients’ hair and makeup.

Phagans graduate Heidi Aldana's first salon, Studio 90.

So when the native Guatemalan found herself unemployed she decided to follow a dream that began in her native country and enrolled at Phagans School of Hair Design in Portland. Now, less than 2 years after graduating, Aldana has her own salon.

Phagans was a name that rose to the top during her search for a school, Aldana said. The 30-year-old mother of 4 decided to enroll in the full course after she made an appointment with admissions and visited the school. Since English is her second language she was at first scared and found some of the course work difficult. But, she said, helpful instructors, a good environment and newly formed friendships helped and supported her along the way.

The salon, which Heidi Aldana has owned for about 2 months, features 2 chairs and stations for nails and waxing services.

She said it was equally important to have the constant support of family and friends as she went through school.

Her hard work paid off. After working for a chain hair salon she decided to make the move and open her own salon, Studio 90 in Southeast Portland. She has owned the salon for 2 months and has 2 chairs and offers pedicures, facials and waxing services.

Aldana said she likes being her own boss. “It feels nice to have something that belongs to me,” she said.

Aldana said her advice to other beauty school students is to work at other salons for a few years. The experience will help teach them customer service skills, which, coupled with advertising, is key to long-term growth, she said.

She said she hopes to grow her salon salon so she can employ other stylists and support her children and their dreams. “I have a positive mind that I am going to make it,” she said.

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