Thanking them for their service: BOCES cosmetology students hold ‘beauty day’ for vets, military members and families

Military members, veterans and their families were treated to free haircuts and manicures by cosmetology students at Eastern Suffolk BOCES Thursday morning.

It’s the first year BOCES has held the event, which was put together by cosmetology teacher Carolyn McKillop.

“We’re always looking for ways to give back,” McKillop said.

The “Military Day of Beauty,” held at BOCES’ H.B. Ward Technical Center today, provided free haircuts, hairstyling and manicures to veterans, military members and their families.

“Vietnam veterans were not always treated right, so it’s good to be able to try to correct that a little,” said Robert Cuce, a local Vietnam veteran and BOCES employee who got a free haircut with his wife today.

About 50 cosmetology students participated in the event, providing free services to more than 100 military members and their families.

“An event like this is great because our students get to practice all their skills – and not just the stuff in our curriculum, but things like customer service too,” cosmetology teacher Carolyn McKillop said.

Students take on different roles in the salon as they work with customers. One student acted as the salon manager, making sure the standard salon operations were correctly adhered to. Another worked behind the desk as a receptionist, taking down appointments and dealing with paperwork. An assistant answered the phones and made sure that customers were comfortable, both in the waiting room and the salon.

“They’re getting a real insight to salon business management,” McKillop said.

To be able to provide the free services, McKillop applied for and received two mini-grants from Eastern Suffolk BOCES. Combined, the grants gave her classes $2,000 to work with.

“We used some of that money to buy supplies to make this possible,” McKillop said. “But that wasn’t even the best part.”

The students had the chance to receive free training by industry professionals from salon supply manufacturers after buying bulk supplies. A national educator with Paul Mitchell visited the classes and taught the students new methods in hair coloring, styling and cutting.

“Because of the grants, we not only gave the students the opportunity to practice their learned skills with events like today’s, but they also received education in product knowledge, current trends and more,” McKillop said. “It’s a real win-win situation.”