Meet Pam: Director of Our Phoenix Beauty School
At The Studio Academy of Beauty, our school directors are more than administrators, they’re mentors, advocates, and proof of what’s possible in the beauty industry. We sat down with Pam, the School Director of our Phoenix Campus, a licensed professional for over ten years with an education and operations background dating back to 2015. From hating math as a student to mixing cocktails of color over a 90-degree access point, Pam’s story is a powerful reminder that passion can carry you further than any obstacle. Here’s what she had to say about the industry, our students, and what beauty school really teaches you.
You Don’t Have to Be “Good at School” to Be Great at Beauty
A lot of incoming students worry about whether they can handle the academic side of cosmetology , the chemistry, the math, the state board exam. Pam knows that feeling firsthand.
“I hated math. I told myself I’d never do math, never do chemistry. And here I am mixing cocktails and figuring out 90 degrees above an access point,” she shared.
Her advice? Passion changes everything. “When you’re passionate about something, that learning curve becomes something that’s fun to ride around.” At The Studio Academy of Beauty, we provide the tools and skills, but it’s your readiness, your drive, and your willingness to show up that turn them into a career.
Real Stories from the Salon Floor
Ask Pam about her favorite moments and she doesn’t talk about reports or numbers, she talks about students.
She remembers one student who came into the program without English as a first language. Her classmates, instructors, and everyone around her pitched in, translating materials, teaching her words in English, helping her study any way they could. When the day finally came for her to walk down the hallway as a graduate, the entire school came out to cheer.
“It was such beautiful, chaotic energy because the entire school came out to just cheer and roar for her because she did it,” Pam said. “Anyone who has those sorts of challenges, your passion will drive you further than any other obstacle you will ever face.”
Another student at our Chandler Campus stands out, too. “I remember the first day she came to the floor. I threw her on probably one of the most difficult chemical processes you could. We cried in the back. I fed her French fries, and then after that, she just attacked everything else.” That same student went on to graduate as a confident beauty professional.
“To see our students after they’ve not known anything and not had that confidence go on to be beauty professionals, it’s life changing.”
The Beauty Industry Isn’t a Box , It’s a Whole World
One of the biggest misconceptions about beauty school, according to Pam, is that students will be limited to one lane.
“The beautiful thing about the beauty industry is that there isn’t a particular lane you have to stay in. It is something that will allow you to be a professional no matter what you do.”
As a licensed cosmetology instructor, Pam herself has worked across the industry, providing intimate nail care for clients of a podiatrist who had limited mobility, working in a full-service salon, and earning Dermalogica Teacher of the Year recognition for her work in esthetics. Each license, she explains, opens doors you didn’t even know existed.
“Each license provides you with so many opportunities. You want to just find what makes you happy making people happy, and from there, the rest is history.”
What the First 16 Weeks Really Look Like
For students just starting out, Pam offers a refreshingly honest perspective: you probably won’t know exactly what you want to do right away, and that’s okay.
“Basic cosmetology is so new to a new student that you probably won’t figure out what you want to do in that first 16 weeks. The good part is it allows you to fail forward.”
Don’t love coding hair color? There’s more to come. Discover you don’t enjoy rolling perms? (And Pam promises, you’ll find out.) There’s still more to come. As you evolve and move onto the salon floor, the work shifts from practicing on mannequins to creating real looks on real people. That’s when the world opens up.
More Than Curling Hair and Doing Makeup
Another misconception Pam wants to clear up: beauty school is not just about glam.
“We learn really intricate information. We do go over scientific policies. We do learn about the cells at the mitosis level. It’s more than just what it sounds like.”
Students learn how wellness impacts hair and skin goals, how to make interpersonal connections few other careers allow, and how to help clients move through their biggest insecurities. “Not a lot of people are able to touch and connect like we are here in the beauty industry.”
Why the Phoenix Campus Feels Like Home
When asked what she loves about the Phoenix Campus, Pam doesn’t hesitate.
“I love the Phoenix Campus because I do feel like I’m with my people. It’s more than just showing up and doing reports and counting people. It’s really seeing people for who they are and where they are and helping them go down this journey.”
And the studio environment itself? “There is no picture-perfect person. Our environment is so mixed that everyone just really comes together. You see a group of people who look like they would never talk to each other outside of here be the best friends and cheer the loudest for each other when it’s time to take that next step. The studio feels like home.”
A Message for Students Who Are Struggling
Pam doesn’t shy away from the hard truth: many students come to beauty school while juggling jobs, families, and personal challenges. She’s been there herself.
“I did every schedule. I worked overnight, went to school during the day. I worked overnight, went to school at night. I went to school in the daytime, worked at night. I did everything humanly possible to get through beauty school. And the one thing I realized was, nothing’s ever going to be perfect. You just have to be consistent.”
For students in the thick of it, her words are simple and powerful: “The struggle really teaches you that this too shall pass. If you are able to wake up and make a plan, even if it’s just for that day, then you can keep going. The beauty industry has provided those who struggle with a completely different world, and usually you’re rewarded more because of the struggle that you’ve been through. No one’s given it to you, and now no one can take it away from you.”
She adds: “You’re never going to have the right answer, but you can make the right choices. And any time you’re pouring into yourself, that’s always the right choice.”
What Beauty School Taught Pam
After more than a decade in the industry, as a stylist, an instructor, and now a school director, Pam reflects on the biggest lesson she carries with her every day.
“Beauty school taught me not to give up on myself, because everything you want is on the other side of hard. I can never take that for granted going toward any other milestone I see for myself in my life.”
And on what the beauty industry means to her: “I’ve always seen myself as someone who wanted to be in beauty but also in charge. Being a school director allows me to do both. I get to shape the beauty industry from my perspective, and now I get to guide students down that path, and I hope to see them go further than I ever have.”
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