Georgian College

9 GEORGIANVIEW 2019-20 WINTER FACULTY SPOTLIGHT The student experience is different for everyone, and for Rena Lang, a 2007 graduate of the Hairstylist Apprenticeship program, the experience came a little later in life. But it wasn't for a lack of trying. Rena had always wanted to be hairstylist, but financial resources were scarce. "I applied to school when I was 18, 24 and 32, and every time I got turned down for a loan," she says, noting that the funding model for financial aid was very different when she was younger. But she never gave up on her dream. After working in the music industry for a period, she made the decision to go all in. Rena got a job as a receptionist in a hair salon, which came with a significant reduction of income, but allowed her to finally work in the industry that she longed to be a part of. In her second year of employment with the salon, Georgian introduced the Hairstylist Apprenticeship program, and after seeking approval from her employer, her dream of becoming a hairstylist was finally accessible. At the age of 38, Rena became a student. "I remember walking in and thinking, yeah, I'm definitely the oldest student here," she recalls, "but my teachers were fantastic, and made me feel like I was doing something really great by changing my career path at that age." With a two-year-old child at home, and helping to run her husband's business at the time, she acknowledges that without this apprenticeship opportunity, she would have been challenged to finish a full-time program. Not only would Rena graduate, she would go on to teach in the very same program that gave her a start in the industry. "When people ask me now how long it takes to become a certified hairstylist, my answer is always the same," she notes. "For most people, it takes about a year, but for me, it took 25 years". Today, Rena is the Program Coordinator for the Hairstylist Apprenticeship program at Georgian. A TWENTY-FIVE YEAR JOURNEY Rena Lang – Hairstylist Apprenticeship, class of 2007

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