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ON CAMPUS: Education about-face

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Megan Durrant, an esthetician and eyelash technician at Beauty Works Day Spa in Belleville, loves helping her clients to look and feel their best. She knew from a young age she wanted to be an esthetician, but when it eventually came time to choosing a post-secondary pathway, she didn’t follow her heart.
“I was doing my English honours degree at the University of British Columbia when I realized that I didn’t like where my career was going,” she said. “I decided to take a big chance in 2012, moved to Ontario to be closer to my family, and enrolled in the Esthetics and Spa Management program at Loyalist College.”
During her second year of the program, Durrant was presented with both the Esthetics & Spa Management Bursary and the Passion for the Spa Industry Award. She graduated in 2014 and, shortly after, was recruited to work at Beauty Works, which offers body care, skin care, hair removal and medical-spa treatments, nail care, cosmetics and massage therapy.
“There is a big clientele base for these types of esthetics treatments in the Quinte region,” she added. “In addition to skin care treatments and eyelash extensions, I also do make-up and cosmetics, which we practised extensively at The Spa at Loyalist. The college offers an extra semester on facials, which was a big plus for me in terms of being able to do skin care treatments at Beauty Works.”
Building on the theory and techniques she learned in college, Durrant receives monthly professional development opportunities through her employer.
“I have been training to offer services such as broadband light photo-rejuvenation to treat a multitude of skin types and conditions,” she said. “I’m also learning more about Maximus, a skin tightening and localized fat reduction technology using radio frequency.”
While she loves working for a well-established spa where she has access to the latest technology and training, Durrant considers running her own spa one day.
“I have always been passionate about esthetics,” she said. “I was ordering eyelash kits when I was 15.”
In Loyalist’s Esthetics and Spa Management program, students train in a full range of spa services to help people look and feel their best. They put those skills to work, both in the on-campus, student-run day spa and during two field placements. Students deliver high-end customer service as they interact with clients and develop important skills in front desk management and the latest point-of-sale software.
Esthetics grads work at Ste. Anne’s Spa, Canada’s largest destination spa, Polish Day Spa, Salon You & Day Spa, The Spa at 237 and Claramount Inn and Spa, among others.
For more information about the January-start Esthetics program, and full-time and part-time study options, visit loyalistcollege.com.

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