Women on the move is part of a series that amplifies women to talk about their success stories. Every month, an individual or group of women share an empowered voice for those who have places to go and goals to accomplish.
For the October 2019 Edition, we spoke with two young women who followed their passion and turned it into their career. The friends-turned-business-partners first crossed paths in middle school, but they only knew each other throughout their years in dance and cheer.
They had no idea the journey that they would embark on together years later.
Alejandra Umana, 23, was born in Cali, Colombia. At 5 years old, Umana and her family moved to Greenacres, Florida, to look for better opportunities in the United States. After graduating high school, Umana assisted at a salon for three years before attending Palm Beach State College.
“That’s where I grew my passion for hair. I was actually studying nursing so it was something completely different,” Umana said. “Then I started to grow a love for hair, so I decided I wanted to do hair and I started beauty school.”
Andrea Salazar, 22, was born in Miami. Her parents are originally from Colombia. Salazar also attended Palm Beach State College.
“My plan was business, but like everyone, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Salazar said. “But I wanted to keep the track of education and be the first to graduate in my family.”
While a business major, she met with her academic counselor who asked her why she wanted to pursue business. She came up with a half-hearted reason that led the counselor to ask what she really wanted to pursue.
“She told me about the cosmetology program, and I switched over and I signed up and it’s been history ever since,” Salazar said.
It was after Umana and Salazar both made the decision to change their majors and focus on beauty school when they found their true passion: making other people look and feel their most confident.
“When I started beauty school, that was it.” Umana said. “I knew it was for me. I found my love for it, the true virtue for it and I continued it. Once I finished school, that’s when I opened up my salon two months later.”
Umana is the owner and stylist at Lavish Hair N’ Makeup Studio in Wellington, Florida. Salazar joined as a business partner and a stylist at the studio. They decorated the studio around the theme of the upcoming Halloween season.
Salazar said that she looks up to Umana as an older sister. Umana believes that they work together for the bigger picture of Lavish. Their dream is to expand the studio and reach celebrity clientele. They are filled with excitement for the future of the studio and its growth.
By Heather Chiles, Jessica Fernandez
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