Cosmetology Student Success Story: Rachel Doyle

About Rachel

Rachel Doyle always knew she wanted to pursue a career in hair. She just wasn’t sure if it was the right decision.

Growing up in a traditional household, the idea of cosmetology school was something she kept close but quiet. Rachel knew she loved doing hair. She had spent her teenage years experimenting on herself with whatever she could find, doing everything a teenager could dream of doing to their own hair, even with the worst products. She loved doing her friends’ hair too, loved the creative side of it. But in a household that leaned traditional, voicing that interest to family members felt like a risk she was not ready to take.

So she went the expected route. She enrolled at Skagit Valley College and picked Communications as a major, not because she was passionate about it, but because she genuinely did not know what else to choose. It did not take long before the cracks started to show. “I realized it wasn’t for me when I noticed my grades began to slip and I had zero passion or drive to get them back up,” she says. A year and a half in, she walked away. It was time to change her life. Traditional classrooms were not how Rachel learned. She needed to move, create, and use her hands.

All along, Rachel had kept her restaurant job in La Conner, a place she had been showing up to since she was sixteen. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she had been holding onto something else: her friend’s experience at EBC.

The Evergreen Experience

That friend had gone through the esthetics program and loved every part of it. It was the kind of thing that stays with you. When Rachel finally decided it was time for cosmetology school, there was only one place on her mind. What she found at EBC’s Mount Vernon campus was not just a program. It was a family. “I love the friends that I have made here,” she says. “I have a team with me to get through the hard and stressful times.” For someone who spent years in a general education classroom feeling like something was off, finding a place where she actually belonged made all the difference.

Hair Color by Rachel Doyle

Inside the program, Rachel discovered her thing quickly: vivid and alternative color. Give her a blank canvas and a client ready to go bold, and she is completely in her element. “I love how creative I get to be with it!” she says. It is the kind of work that feels like play, and Rachel leans into every bit of it. But the skill she is most proud of right now? Blowouts. “I love seeing the reveal and their face once the hair has been styled and the finished look,” she says. That moment of someone seeing themselves in the mirror and lighting up is what Rachel is chasing every single time she picks up a brush.

The most valuable part of her training has been learning to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Being dropped into real situations, with real clients, where she has to think fast and figure it out. “Having to be put in stressful situations and having to think on the spot has helped me learn how to move on my feet and be a better problem solver,” she says. And through all of it, she has had someone steady in her corner. “Dawn Maynard has also been a great and supportive educator that I have definitely leaned on and trust,” Rachel says. It is exactly the kind of hands-on, people-first environment that no traditional classroom ever gave her.

Since moving into Phase 2 in April, Rachel has already had moments that remind her why Cosmetology was meant for her. One of them was the opportunity to do a bride’s complete hair and makeup on her wedding day. Something that could have felt overwhelming instead felt like an honor. “I am so full of gratitude and love, words cannot describe how thankful I am she had the trust and faith in me on her most special day,” Rachel says. It is the kind of moment that only happens when you bet on yourself and follow the path you were always meant to be on.

When you sit in Rachel’s chair, you are getting someone who genuinely listens. She takes her time, checks in with you, and makes sure you feel comfortable from start to finish. And hearing it from a client, you know she takes care of the people in her chair. Kiara Casias, who came in for a haircut, put it perfectly in a Google review: “She was very kind, listened to what I wanted, and took her time throughout the appointment. She checked in with me during the cut and made sure I was comfortable.”

The Next Step

Hair Color by Rachel Doyle

After graduation, Rachel plans to step into a salon and keep growing. Hair cutting and vivid color are where her excitement lives, the skills she is most eager to sharpen and make her own. Once she has built that foundation, the dream is to open her own studio one day.

Rachel’s advice to anyone thinking about enrolling is simple: ask every question you have, go outside your comfort zone, and stay open to where the training takes you. “There are no dumb questions. Ask as many as you need to feel comfortable,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. You also may think coming into school that you know for sure what you want to specialize in, but that could change once you learn other techniques and styles!” In simpler terms, ask every question you have, go outside of your comfort zone, and stay open to where the training takes you. You never know what the future holds!

Rachel Doyle is expected to graduate from EBC’s Mount Vernon campus in February 2027. Follow her work on Instagram at @hairbyrachelkelly. We cannot wait to see what she builds next.

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.