Dorm room haircuts trim the cost of beauty
By Mackenzie Miller – Horizon Editor-in-Chief
For college students, it shows no mercy. The nights get longer, the sleep gets shorter, but it continues to grow, to get called names like “bedhead,” and to convince you to experiment with looks such as mullets and man buns.
It’s hair. And just because you’re a busy, poor college student, doesn’t mean you should stop taking care of it.
Need a haircut? All you have to do is ask.
Hesston College students like Sadie Prowell and Omar Aguilar Medina recognize the importance of hair care. They’re taking matters into their own hands, or rather, their own shears.
Setting up shop in the dorms, Prowell and Medina bring the Supercuts, the Sport Clips, the Clip and Curl and everything in between to campus. But they each have their own twist.
The Stylist from Erb Hall
On the second floor of Erb Hall, amidst the piles of makeup products, old Sonic drinks and business textbooks, you’ll find Sadie Prowell with a set of shears in hand.
A sophomore from Lenexa, Kan., Prowell studies business but plans to attend beauty school after completing her associate’s degree. Between financial accounting class and macroeconomics, she’ll find time to care for your hair.
And you’re in luck. Prowell offers haircuts to men and women, all for free. Prowell cuts about 10 heads of hair every two weeks. And she sees the number only rising.
“College kids need haircuts,” Prowell said. “They don’t have money, and I need practice. So, it works out.”
Prowell styles hair with experience, completing her first haircut at the age of 13. Her technique is modern, and she adds that she is here for “men and women’s trims or dramatic cuts.”
“Haircuts give people confidence,” Prowell said, “especially girls. Oh, and Seth Rudeen. He thought he grew muscles after I cut his hair.”
The Baseball-Playing Barber
On the other side of Erb Hall, Prowell’s competitor Omar Aguilar Medina sets up shop.
But his story began one year ago on the baseball diamond in Miami, Fla.
It was his senior year of high school, and Medina was playing on the No. 1 team for the state of Florida. Born in Panama City, Panama, Medina had always been surrounded by baseball. But here inMiami, a win for the baseball team meant much more than a ranking or a statistic.
A win meant a free haircut.
The culture in Miami was to keep your hair fresh, said Medina. He recalls that his teammates would get their haircut almost once a week.
It’s part of Latino culture, Medina said.
Now at Hesston, Medina uses his past for inspiration. His haircuts emphasize edges and sharp lines. This style is best-described by Medina as “cuts with a touch of Latin flavor.”
“I’m not a professional,” said Medina, a freshman studying kinesiology and exercise science. “But I try. If you want a professional haircut you have to go to Wichita. Here, you can get it for free.”
And most college students are just fine with that, Medina said.
While in Miami, Medina watched his barber friend Raylin Trinidad cut hair. After a few observations of different techniques, Medina just dove in.
His future may look towards professional baseball, but Medina’s past has given him the skills he needs to cut hair.
As the word keeps spreading, more and more students are walking around campus with a clean cut and a smile on their face. Just take freshman Seth Rudeen, one of the first of Prowell’s clients:
“I used to look like a little boy, but now I’m a man,” he said.
Medina and Prowell have no plans to stop cutting hair anytime soon. As for it being free? That could change as more students continue to request a “new do,” they said.
The time for a fresh cut is right now on the Hesston College campus.
“College students want to look good and feel confident about themselves,” Medina said. “A haircut will do just that.”
