Wonderemployment

I am blessed with amazingly talented and generous friends. My friend (and hairstylist) Rhea is the co-owner of Le Reve Salon in Burlingame. Today her wonderful team put on an event called Cuts for Kids to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and a local non-profit called Kids & Art , which partners with artists to bring art sessions to children and their families during cancer treatment, recovery, or bereavement. As part of their fundraising efforts, Le Reve was offering $20 haircuts, which is a steal for the beautiful, high-quality work they do. When I first saw them advertise the event, I knew I had to get an appointment for G . As many teenagers do, G is always fantasizing about changing up her look with clothes, piercings, body art, and of course, hairstyles. A lot of ideas come and go, but she has been talking about a new haircut for the past six months or more. Resources are tight for her family though, so trips to the salon are understandably not a top p...

One of the most interesting parts about my job is that I get to travel to various parts of the state and meet people in settings I would not normally be in, such as high schools and detox centers. The last time I talked about a business trip was in June, when I got to go to Disneyland ! This past week, my job brought me somewhere that could not be more different: prison. My colleague and I spent almost 2 full days working with a special group of inmates at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla. This was not my first time at a prison, but it was my first time at a women's facility. I am very privileged in that I do not have any personal experiences with friends or family being incarcerated. Having no firsthand knowledge, my only point of reference was Orange is the New Black (which I love!). I didn't know what to expect, but what I got was one of the most rewarding teaching experiences I have ever had. As I have talked about before, a big part of my jo...