Cosmetology gets in holiday spirit, gives nursing home residents makeovers
photo or infographic by courtesy of Wildkat Cosmetology
SITTING PRETTY. Working on a resident’s hair, junior Marlene De Aguila gives back to community by volunteering at the center.
Christmas time is not a season or time period, but a state of mind. Giving back to the community and helping people in need is a big part of the holiday and the cosmetology students knew just what to do.
The members of Wildkat Cosmetology recently went to the Willis Nursing and Rehabilitation Home to give the residents pampering. They gave them beauty assistance to make them feel fresh, confident and happy.
“We went and offered services like hair curling, styling, and manicures,” junior Lily Griffin said. “We talked to the people and we kind of got to know them and just tried to help make their lives a little bit better.
Although this is supposed to be a happy event, it opened the eyes of many students and teachers who helped out.
“There aren’t enough dining chairs in their food halls,” cosmetology teacher Emily Berrigan said. “Because cold weather is coming up, donating blankets, socks, anything like that for them would be fantastic.”
Because of the saddening realization the cosmo kids got, they want to try and help out as much as they can.
“We are going to be selling goodie bags with nail files, nail polish, and acetone,” junior Marlene Del Aguila said. “All the money we make is going to go towards the nursing home.”
Volunteering with this vulnerable group of people was a very poignant experience because it brought them joy and also sadness.
“I had a love-hate relationship with this experience,” junior Julia Warren said. “I felt really sad when I saw them because it made me think about how some of them don’t have anyone coming to visit them. But then it brought me joy to see them get all happy after they got pampered and got our services done. Just seeing their smiles made me happy.”
The cosmetology program has many wonderful, selfless human beings, all who had the same emotions coming out of their volunteer experience.
“It was a fun but sad experience,” senior Emma Adkison said. “I told the nurse that I would try to come at least once a week and make them christmas goodie bags. There’s only 46 residents and not a lot of them have people to visit them, so I want to give them as much attention as I can and just make them feel loved.”
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Alyssa Beaulac is a senior at Willis High School and is a member of the newspaper and yearbook staff. You can reach her at [email protected]
