E. C. Glass High School students are starting the school year looking fresh, thanks to pampering services received at Lynchburg Beacon of Hope’s “Back-to-School Glow Up at Glass” event. The nonprofit partnered with local businesses to provide free barber cuts, heat styling, gel manicures, and eyebrow waxes during Enrollment Day on Thursday.
“This event is about more than just physical appearance. It’s about boosting our students’ confidence, ensuring they feel ready to take on the new school year. We are incredibly grateful to our local partners for their support in making this event possible,” said Beacon of Hope Executive Director Leidra McQueen.
Career Connections from the Styling Chair
Stylists from Monroe & Co. Studio, Ted & Ted’s Barber Shoppe, the Diamond Room, and Diamond Cutz Barber Shop spent six hours providing services completely free of charge, forming meaningful connections with students along the way. The event also offered students considering entering the field of cosmetology a unique opportunity to speak with professionals one-on-one about their careers. If interested, Lynchburg City Schools (LCS) students can graduate high school with a cosmetology license, thanks to comprehensive courses offered through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program.
Students also had a chance to meet Beacon of Hope’s new E. C. Glass Future Center Director, Kara Douglas, who will serve as a key resource as they chart their paths after high school. Beacon of Hope’s Future Centers, located in both high schools, help students achieve postsecondary success by assisting them with resume building, job interview skill development, academic tutoring, SAT prep, financial aid and scholarships, internships, and more.
“I'm thrilled to join this community and meet our amazing students, and this event is a fantastic start to the school year, demonstrating our commitment to their success and well-being. It will also offer students interested in barbering, cosmetology, nail artistry, and esthetics a chance to speak with professionals about their careers—some of whom are ECG alumni,” Douglas said.
Alumni Giving Back
Tiarra Harris, known to clients as Tiarra Diamond, is one such alum. After graduating from E. C. Glass in 2017, she launched her career as an esthetician and entrepreneur specializing in eyelash extensions, makeup, facial hair waxing, and eyebrow tinting. At just 24 years old, Harris opened the Diamond Room, an esthetics lounge in downtown Lynchburg.
“It feels fulfilling to give back to the E. C. Glass community as a business owner. It’s important for students to see somebody who looks like them making it in their career,” Harris said.
During her time at E. C. Glass, Harris studied dentistry through the school’s robust CTE program. By the time she graduated, she’d shadowed dentists and gained experience working with patients in the real world. Harris worked in a dental office after graduating, but ultimately pivoted to cosmetology. She credits her experience with CTE for helping mold her into the professional she is today.
“CTE classes are a good step into the real world. I learned to work with patients through the dentistry program, which has been helpful because interacting with clients is a huge part of being an esthetician,” Harris said. “I was always interested in the orthodontics side of dentistry because of the cosmetic aspect, so the transition into esthetics was a natural choice.”
E. C. Glass class of 2017 graduate and Diamond Room salon owner and operator Tiarra Harris.
Harris’ high school experience was also instrumental in encouraging her to pursue big career ambitions. She attributes her outgoing and driven personality as an adult to the unique sense of community at E. C. Glass, citing teachers who pushed her to set her future self up for success.
“This school pushes everyone to step outside of their shell. I was extremely shy when I started at E. C. Glass, but it’s a very community-oriented school. If you go here, you’re going to get to know people and become part of the family,” Harris said. “I had an English teacher who pulled me aside when she noticed I was struggling. She said, ‘I know what you’re capable of. You’re so much bigger than this.’ That had an impact on me. I needed that push to motivate me at the time.”
As a business owner, Harris hopes to inspire other young people to follow their dreams. By giving back to the community at events like this one and offering mentorship and esthetics classes to budding professionals at her salon, she’s investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs. And with goals to someday expand her business and open franchises in multiple states, Harris is far from done dreaming herself.
“When I first started out, I was afraid to aim high because I was scared somebody would tell me no. But my advice to students looking to enter this field would be to just go for it. Because holding back is cheating yourself of the opportunity to make the next person feel beautiful,” Harris said.
A Culture of Community Support
While Harris waxed students’ eyebrows on one side of the gym, E. C. Glass alumna Cyarra “Ke” Johnson cut and styled their hair on the other. Hair has always been a passion of Johnson’s, and after graduating in 2021, she attended cosmetology school and made her hobby into a career.
Johnson worked under Harris for six months, learning the ins and outs of running a salon under her mentorship. She’s pursuing her license and honing her craft through Monroe & Co. Studio, where she specializes in wig services and hair extensions, cuts, and styling under her own independent brand, Glamed by Ke.
E. C. Glass class of 2021 graduate and professional hairstylist Cyarra “Ke” Johnson.
“I had a super positive high school experience. I learned to be communicative and independent, and I had a great support network of teachers and classmates who helped me through the good times and the bad,” Johnson said. “My community motivated me to be versatile and become whoever I wanted to be, even though I didn’t take the traditional college route.”
Many of her clients attend or graduated from E. C. Glass, and alumni like Harris have provided mentorship. With two years of professional cosmetology experience under her belt, Johnson plans to open her own salon after obtaining her license. Thanks to her community, she’ll embark on the next step in her career journey with plenty of support.
“It feels unreal to be back at E. C. Glass not as a student, but as a professional giving back to the community. Without this school, I wouldn’t be who I am today,” Johnson said. “I was once in these students’ shoes, trying to figure it all out, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to uplift them through my craft.”
