Nail Technology Student Success Story: Kayla Castillo

About Kayla Castillo

In High School, you get asked “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Most people are not sure on how to answer, but Ms. Kayla Castillo knew exactly what she wanted to respond with. We asked Kayla why she became interested in doing nails, her response, “I started getting into doing my own acrylics simply because I thought I could save the extra money instead of going to a salon. This was about one year prior to me enrolling into the program and within that time, I started improving more, and even enjoyed it. I am already an artistic person and I found that this was a way for me to showcase those abilities. So then I thought, why not pursue a career in something I know I can be good at and also something I enjoy doing!”

When we asked Ms. Kayla why she chose to attend Evergreen Beauty College, she shared, “What really caught my eye was the fact that, as students, we would really be engaged into the learning process and be taught the how and the why in order to be fully prepared for not only the licensing exam, but the real world. I was also told that we would have an amazing instructor, Miss Mimi Beltran, and she has not once failed to provide me the best learning experience. I knew I would be supported, and well trained.” Before graduating, Kayla enrolled into our nail technician program to start her journey of becoming a licensed professional.

The Evergreen Experience

As Ms. Kayla continues to learn and grow in her program, she expresses her favorite parts about doing nails and the program itself. Kayla shares, “I really enjoy the artistic and creative aspect of doing nails. I think a lot of people, particularly those who aren’t nail techs or wanting to be nail techs don’t really realize how much goes into creating a full set and that you’re unleashing that artistic side of yourself into creating such beautiful masterpiece. The other cool part is that you are able to make so many different masterpieces, some challenging, some more simple, but all so beautiful.” When talking to Kayla about what she believes are her strengths so far, she responds with “My specialty is artificial, particularly acrylic, extensions. I think there’s a wider range of possibilities that you can do with an acrylic full sets than doing a more simple gel manicure or pedicure. I love working with full acrylic when doing particular designs such as ombre and French designs.”

Kayla is a very detailed oriented manicurists. She’s always looking to improve her work and her work ethic.

She cares deeply about the wants and needs of her clients and works extremely hard to bring her clients imaginations to life. With all the fun and creative projects the nail program does, Ms. Kayla has one favorite project that stands out and they called it ‘the Gala showcase project’. Kayala says, “I really enjoyed the Gala showcase project we’ve done because we were challenged to create a set of nails inspired by a Met Gala look. I decided to recreate Jennifer Lopez’ 2015 Met Gala look, where she wore a beautiful red dragon dress contouring her body perfectly. I even pushed myself by creating a 3-D sculpted dragon with acrylic to go onto the middle finger as a final touch.”

The Next Step

Once Ms. Kayla graduates from her program, she shares just what her plans look like for after school, “After I graduate and become licensed, I plan on working from home in my own space. I may look into possibly renting a booth before that to get more exposure while I build up my clientele. I have even thought about the possibility of opening a mobile shop in a small van or shop, but of course with time I will explore more of those possibilities.” As Kayla continues on, she shares some advice for any future students wondering about the program. “Do not give up and do not feel intimidated by anyone or anything around you. Going into the first days, it was definitely nerve-racking getting to know all the students with their amazing talents. It’s so important to realize that you are all there for the same thing; to learn and grow.” Kayla also shares “Never focus too much on what others are doing and how they’re doing. It’s okay to learn from each other and observe but never compare yourself and put your work down. We all have a ways to go, different styles, but it is never impossible to reach your best.”

If you would like to follow Ms. Kayla on her journey as she continues and finishes with her program, you can follow her Instagram: @castinails and her Youtube channel: Casti Nails.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the beauty industry take the Beauty Biz Readiness Quiz, you can also check out our programs or contact us at one of our six locations: Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Everett, North Seattle, Renton, and Yakima.