What started off as a simple abbreviation of my son’s name turned out to be symbolic of my entire journey in this industry. As a Mexican immigrant in Northeast Georgia, I found myself working in salons that people like me didn’t tend to visit. I was often the only bilingual stylist, and while that came as an advantage, I found myself watering things down to fit in and get along with my coworkers. I was eager to find my people and work with them. I was desperate to put my walls down and create genuine relationships with my clients.

After having my son, Yahir Matias, I realized I had much more work to do internally. How could I teach him to be true to himself, when I couldn’t even figure that out myself? I was conflicted between my beliefs and the desire to make my immigrant parents proud, all while still being approved by my colleagues. My climb to growth and self-discovery became more steep.

In this recent journey of being an independent stylist, there are many things that have become clear to me. One is that my parents brought me here to follow the American Dream, in hopes of a better life and future. I’ve realized very quickly that dream was never created for us. It was not a clear-cut path for minorities to follow but instead created by white cis males for white cis males. We can’t achieve something that was never intended for us to achieve in the first place. My first challenge was to change the way I did business. Get rid of anything and everything that didn’t make me happy or drained me of it. This led me to implement a set of policies that I believe will get me closer to my goals, and still allow me to grow a loyal clientele while also remaining true to myself. My goal is to filter out all of the racist, sexist, and classist practices within the industry to create a better salon environment for clients and stylists alike. I work how I know I work best, not rushing or cramming clients in. This allows me to give my clients the best experience possible and my complete and undivided attention.

This mountain I choose to climb is indicative of my self-discovery, but most importantly the Mexican-American Dream that I, and other dreamers, are in search of. All who want to join me on this hike are welcome. Whether it’s for a short visit or the entirety of the way, I’m happy you’re here.