By Richie Richards
Native Sun News Today Correspondent
RAPID CITY – A young woman is making a name for herself in the cosmetology and hairstyling industry, and she is still a student.
Larissa Grinnell, 25, has been a student at Headlines Academy in Rapid City since January 2019 and is preparing to graduate in December. She has earned Student of the Month in September and is currently a Master Student.
Grinnell has had to overcome challenges in her life to be in the healthy place she is in now, this includes becoming sober one year ago. Sobriety is a title she holds close to her heart, as it gives her an opportunity to lead by example.
Since the age of 14, she has been cutting hair for her father, family, and friends. She said her father preferred his hair in a military style, like a crew cut, ‘high and tight”. These early haircuts at home developed her passion to do this professionally. This is why she eventually enrolled at Headlines Academy.
Larissa Grinnell was named Cosmetology Student of the Month at Headlines Academy in Rapid City, South Dakota. in September 2019.
“It took a while to get to this point, to this step to doing it (becoming a student). I mean there's a lot of things that kind of helped me back then, but once you overcome some obstacles in life you have to live and learn to see what you need to do to get through life,” said Grinnell.
The master student said she battle an alcohol addiction and poverty. “It's kind of a blessing and a curse at the same time, because I'm breaking the cycle that came from many generations and I'm proud to be a sober Native American and an educated one,” she proclaimed. Grinnell said she cannot be more proud of her parents who are business owners themselves.
She hopes to use her life as an example for others in her family, especially her brothers, she said. The budding cosmetologist understands the challenges youth face in today’s society, challenges that differ from her own childhood. “Being better requires letting go of a lot of generational curses and overcoming those things. It's a really good feeling once you do.”
The loss of her maternal grandfather recently caused a minor disruption in her education, but she soon recovered. During this period, she supported her mother and cut off her own hair to follow the Lakota tradition of mourning. This experience gave her encouragement to continue. “I can't stop because of something bad. I have to keep moving forward because it only shows my true character,” she said.
Grinnell said she has only one client during her time at Headlines who was not happy with the final product. The haircut was quickly fixed and the customer left satisfied with her work. “My best experience here at Headlines has been making my clients happy.”
In the field of cosmetology, returning clients is a benchmark of success. Having a client come back for services is how a student marks their growth. Fridays are the days in which she does mostly requests from clients who have been with her prior.
“I have actually two clients that want to follow me after I graduate. They sound pretty genuine about it,” she said.
Contact Native Sun News Today Correspondent Richie Richards at richie4175@gmail.com
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