Nail Technology Student Success Story: Celena Xiong

About Celena Xiong

Sometimes in life you need to step out of your comfort zone in order to truly find what makes you happy. Celena Xiong did just that! “I chose the nail technician program because I have always been fascinated and admire what you can do with nail enhancements. I would watch my nail tech perform his art/craft and I would also watch many nail videos on You Tube and Instagram. It inspired me to join the nail industry and push myself completely out of my comfort zone. So far, it has been one of my best decisions I have ever made.”

Before enrolling in the Nail Technology program here at Evergreen Beauty College, Celena was still in a school environment, just not as a student. “I was a preschool teacher, teaching 3 year olds, for little over a year. Before I took that position, I was an infant teacher for 3 years. I have always loved caring for people and wearing my heart on my sleeve. Although I have lots of love caring for and teaching young children, I decided to close my chapter for my early childhood education career and move on to grow elsewhere.” “I wasn’t happy with my day to day job and just felt like I didn’t belong. I wanted and craved for something new and different but also wanted something I could look forward to. I wanted to be in a positive environment to thrive and blossom.” shares Celena.

The Evergreen Experience

Class challenge to create a rainbow design.

It’s always nice to hear from students as to what or who  brought them to enroll in Evergreen Beauty College, Celena shares with us why she decided to attend our beauty school. “I chose EBC because I have had a few friends that have previously attended here and raved about the school. The main reason I decided to join the EBC family is because of the feedback/reviews and the amount of support we get from everyone.”

A lot of the time students will say their favorite part of their program was some type of assignment or skill they learned. But there are a hand full of students whos favorite part is the people they were around the whole time. “What I love most about the nail tech program is my instructor Ms. Mimi and the atmosphere that has been created. Coming into this program I had no knowledge about anything that involved nails, but Ms. Mimi and all my classmates made me feel wanted and welcomed me with open arms, which helped encourage me to keep practicing to get better and to master new skills.”

As we continue to talk with Celena about her experience, she shares with us what she believes are her strengths/specialties. “I believe my specialty so far within my program is nail shaping and nail art. I enjoy getting the shaping right and to look the way my clients desire. I also love working on my line work when doing nail art.” Learning more about her experience, Celena explains what assignments she has found the most helpful through out her program, “I am more of a hands-on learner so I find my instructor’s demos the most helpful. It’s very helpful since I can see it in person on how and what I need to do to master the skills, application, structure etc.”

The Next Step

Some simple black frenchies with red sequin accent nails.

“After I graduate my nail technician program, I am going to apply at a salon or spa to help gain my experience. I am setting my 5 year goal to open my own all service salon and spa with my sisters.” Celena shares with us. While talking about future plans, we ask what sets her apart from other manicurists, “I believe I am different from other nail technicians because I love talking and getting to know my clients.

I am not there to just perform my services but to build a relationship with them. I want my clients to feel welcomed and loved when they get their services done by me. I want them to enjoy the whole positive experience. When I offer my services to my clients, just know I am giving it whole heartedly.”

As she continues with her program, Celena shares some advice for any future students or anyone looking into the Nail Technology program, “My advice to new incoming students is to never feel discourage. On days that you feel defeated, push through and keep working hard because when accomplishing what you thought you couldn’t will be a beautiful ending to a chapter and a new beginning to something even greater.

Celena is estimated to graduate in August of 2021. If you would like to follow Celena Xiong as she finished her program, her Instagram is @xim.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: BellinghamMount VernonEverettNorth SeattleRenton, and Yakima.

Author
Frank Trieu
Vice President of Business Development & Industry Relations

Frank Trieu is a cosmetology industry leader, and despite his accomplishments and accolades, he still prioritizes students on the Evergreen campus. Through building relationships within the community and local salons, retail stores, and spas, he helps facilitate job placements for aspiring beauty professionals using his expansive network.

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