MCTI students work hard all year, balancing their core classes and the projects they work on at the institute.

Bryannah Zimmerman, 12, a cosmetology student, is already steps ahead of her peers by utilizing the dual enrollment and Co-Op option offered at the high school. She earned her cosmetology license as a junior and is now in the process of applying for the National Technical Honor Society.

Zimmerman has been completing her dual enrollment with East Stroudsburg University. After completing her application to their July program, she was accepted into the college and received their Merritt Scholarship. She’s planning to major in Secondary Education/English and ESU’s program offers her many benefits, including being able to be close to her home and family.

Bryannah plans to earn her Secondary Education/English degree while working in the salon. Having the degree will give her a backup plan to fall back on and will give her options for after college.

Along with her schoolwork, Zimmerman is working at The Bob Salon located on West Main Street. The salon is owned by Katherine Spiegel and Kelly Schouppe.

“I’ve been working there part-time for about a year and a half now,” said Zimmerman. “As a cosmetology student, it is impossible for you to learn everything in the field in only four years of education, and they are allowing me to assist them with their daily tasks and appointments and are teaching me new ways of working in a salon environment weekly.” 

With a multi-task learning approach, certain struggles might arise. Time management and self discipline are essential.

“If I’m going to be honest, I didn’t underestimate the amount of time needed for each of these activities, but I wouldn’t change it,” explained Zimmerman. “Between high school, college, advanced classes, and relationships, it’s hard to separate my time between them all, but it’s a great way for me to learn how to prioritize my time and to work harder for my goals.”

Since she is so far ahead in the game, Zimmerman is bound to have some benefits up her sleeve. Most MCTI students are already ahead of their classmates with job placement opportunities after graduation. However, Bryannah’s situation is even better. To earn a cosmetology license and a certificate from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), you would need to achieve over 1,200 hours of training. 

“Most students don’t receive this till their senior year or after, which could cause employers to overlook them,” says Bryanna Zimmerman, 12. “But since I already have both Osha certification and a cosmetology license, I already have a foot in the door.”