Melissa Simpson, owner of Lashes & Beyond, formed a partnership with the #NCWorks #NextGen program in August 2020 to provide employment and training opportunities to aspiring #cosmetologists. After 25 years of experience with her craft, Melissa wants nothing more than to help the community and give back.
Currently, Melissa is mentoring Serae, who recently completed her Natural Hair Specialist Certification at Durham Tech. Serae is already a shop favorite and the other staff constantly praise her work ethic. Serae’s favorite aspect of the job is experiencing first-hand the happiness of her customers and the opportunity to help them take pleasure in how they look. She intends on remaining at the shop where she is loved and will continue to hone her skills as she looks toward the future of having a salon of her own. Melissa’s advice to Serae and other aspiring hair stylists is to “lean into the fear and just do it”.
