Cosmetology Student Success Story: Jaymie Harris

About Jaymie Harris

Jaymie Harris crossed the Pacific, and beauty school was waiting when she arrived.

Jaymie grew up on the island of Guam, where she worked as a cultural dancer for a dinner show and learned to fire dance using poi, chains tipped with fire that she spins in sweeping arcs for a live audience. Dancing is still her main hobby to this day. In June 2025, she made the move to Washington, carrying everything Guam had given her. She has genuinely enjoyed it here. And Guam has never been far from her mind.

Back in Guam, the women in Jaymie’s life were her first beauty teachers. Her nana would spray perfume on her every morning before church, and young Jaymie loved every second of it. “It felt like my first introduction to the beauty world,” she says. She would watch her sister do her hair and makeup each morning, completely in awe. “It always looked like an art form to me.” Her sister saw it coming long before Jaymie did. She once told Jaymie that she always knew beauty was the path she would take, pointing to every makeup, hair, and beauty game Jaymie played growing up. Toca Boca hair salon was a personal favorite.

But there is one reason above all others that drives Jaymie. Her mom. “My mom always put us before her,” she says. “So she never got the chance to truly take care of herself.” Jaymie always knew she wanted to change that someday, to give her mom the full salon experience she had never given herself. As it turned out, her mom ended up being her very first model for school.

The Evergreen Experience

Finding EBC was her sister’s doing. Before Jaymie relocated to Washington, she had already had a disappointing experience at another beauty school. Her sister took a quick look around and landed on EBC almost immediately. Great reviews, community involvement, and something that genuinely caught them both off guard. Financial aid. “It was a big surprise to me and touching too,” Jaymie says. “Most people do not realize that beauty school is a hefty investment. So it was nice to see a school that understands that.”

Hair Color by Jaymie

Inside the classroom, the skill that surprised Jaymie the most has been facials. It was not something she expected to fall for. “I was surprised to learn how methodical it is,” she says. “It was also very therapeutic.” She loved it enough that she is already thinking about adding an esthetics program to her journey down the road.

The part of her training that has shaped her thinking the most, though, is the Beyond Beauty section of her bookwork. The business side: numbers, ethics, professionalism, accounting. It is the section many students gloss over, and Jaymie found it to be among the most valuable things she has studied. “I love how they gave an insight into the number side, ethics, professionalism, and accounting side of the beauty industry,” she says. It pushed her to think seriously about what owning a business actually means, something she is working through with her brother, who is pursuing a business degree. Salon ownership is still very much on the table. She is just being thoughtful about it.

When Jaymie talks about what she brings to clients, the word she keeps coming back to is consultation. “I am all about experience and heavy on client consultation,” she says. “Because in the end, the consultation is what is going to determine what you can or cannot offer your client at the moment.” She is thorough, she cares deeply about getting it right, and she is honest that being thorough takes time. It is something she is actively working on. That kind of self-awareness is going to take her far.

Jaymie applied and was selected for the role of Student Ambassador for the Olympia Campus, a position she wishes she had joined sooner. “It really gives you an insight and a step behind the scenes into how our educators, staff, and admin bring everything together,” she says. She also participated in the Show Off Event, one of the largest beauty student competitions in the PNW, sponsored by EBC. She entered simply to see where she stood in the industry, but the experience led to an unexpected opportunity: a local barbershop took notice of her work and expressed interest in hiring her after graduation. Sometimes, putting yourself out there is the whole point.

The Next Step

Jaymie is not just planning a career. She is planning a return.

Barbering by Jaymie

Back home on Guam, there is a real problem. Unlicensed, unsanitary backyard barbering has become widespread, and the consequences have been serious. Jaymie has watched friends experience the results firsthand, including one who had to go to urgent care after developing a scalp infection from poor infection control. It is a problem that proper education and professional standards could prevent, and Jaymie intends to be part of the solution. “After graduating, I plan to take my skills back home to Guam,” she says.

Her vision goes beyond just working in a salon. While there are cosmetology schools in Guam, Jaymie wants to open one modeled after the way EBC operates: individual programs that let students focus specifically on what they want to pursue. The barbering program especially. There is a real gap and a real opportunity, and she wants to give future barbers on her island the chance to learn the right way, in a proper environment.

Her advice to anyone thinking about enrolling is the most energetic thing in this whole story. “Do it! Someone is always going to need a haircut. Someone is always going to need a new nail set. And someone is always going to want a facial. The beauty industry is booming and it never stops growing. So there is always something new to learn.” And then, in the most Jaymie way possible: she plans to push her own sister to enroll next. “She deserves a great experience and also a great program too.”

Jaymie Harris is expected to graduate from EBC’s Olympia campus in November 2026. Follow her journey on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook at @jaymie.hairris. We cannot wait to see what she builds back home.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the beauty industry, check out our Cosmetology program or Schedule a Virtual Tour at one of our campuses: Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Everett, North Seattle, Renton, Olympia, and Yakima.