Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
4 mins ago
Vanessa Hopping is doing the NZ Certificate in Hairdressing (Level 3) at EIT.
An EIT student, who faced years of personal challenges and job uncertainty, has finally found fulfilment doing the NZ Certificate in Hairdressing (Level 3).
Vanessa Hopping, 31, attended Ōtūmoetai College in Tauranga, but left early, finding that school was not for her.
“I did my first year of hairdressing when I was 18, but I ended up leaving and moving to Australia, just due to personal circumstances. I was going through a really hard time with family and on a whim, honestly, just moved over there, because my brother lived there.”
She worked in a number of different jobs including at a supermarket, as a nightclub DJ and on a tomato farm, but did not really feel they were for her. While she was in Australia, Vanessa fell pregnant, but as she was not in a good relationship, she decided to move back to New Zealand.
She lived with her grandparents in Hamilton where she gave birth to her daughter Ruby. After that she decided to study travel and tourism, but although she completed the programme, she did not feel that it was the career for her.
After that she spend a number of years moving around and trying to get jobs in salons, but never really settled down.
“I was trying to get an apprenticeship, but just no one would take me on, because it had been too many years since I’d done hairdressing.”
Vanessa says that she went through a period of time where she focused on her daughter and “basically did enough to survive”.
A personal tragedy when an aunt died and the traumatic birth of her son Phoenix, in which she almost died, made Vanessa finally reassess her life.
Vanessa says that she feels like she has always had “to battle something”, but that this has made her resilient.
“I’ve been through quite a journey.”
A job as a security manager at Farmers in Hastings gave her some satisfaction, but eventually she left that role as she was not spending enough time with her children.
“I was burnt out and needed some time for myself. I knew I wanted to do something with my career.”
She decided to email EIT to find out about availability on the hairdressing programme and how she could use her earlier qualifications.
“I said: ‘ Hey, this is my situation. I’ve done this hairdressing course before, but is there any refresher course or anything like that?’ I just emailed at the right time in my life, because that’s when they said that the hairdressing programme had changed.”
Vanessa got a student loan ad enrolled the NZ Certificate in Hairdressing (Level 3)in February.
“It all happened really fast and it all just fell into place for me ever since then. It’s just like my miracle.”
She has no regrets about the career she has chosen.
“I absolutely love it. I love it so much. I feel very passionate about it. I always loved hairdressing and used to practise braiding hair on my dolls.”
“Even when I was as young as 13, I used to colour my hair and my friends hair as well. It’s just something that’s really just stuck with me my whole life.”
“And I knew that I wanted to come back to it. I just never thought I was going to be able to.”
She is finding the EIT programme very rewarding.
“My favourite thing is colouring hair and making clients feel happy, even just helping them relax.”
“I’ve always wanted to be in an industry where I help people. And this is where it’s something that I can do that I love that also helps people.”
“It’s a rewarding thing to do. And I think it’s reflecting in my results.”
As for the future, Vanessa currently has a part-time job at Vivo in Havelock North and is hoping to get an apprenticeship next year.
“I just want people to know that whether you’re 18, 30 or even 50, 60, you can do whatever you want. You just have to keep trying, even if it doesn’t work out in the moment.”
Courtney Cook, EIT’s Hairdressing Programme Coordinator and Lecturer, says: “Vanessa is a driven learner who has continued to apply 100% focus while in the NZ Certificate in Hairdressing (Level 3)course.”
“We admire her determination and resilience in the fact that she has two children and works outside of class yet when she arrives for the day she is focused and provides professional services that her clients continue to return for.”
“She inspires her peers in the programme and has been a constant support for everyone. Vanessa is an inspiration for those who have a dream and never stop until they reach their full potential. We have seen Vanessas confidence blossom in both herself and her skill set this year and it has been so amazing to watch. We wish Vanessa all the best and cannot wait to see her achieve big things within the industry.”
