Maria C. is the Café Fed Manager and has been with Federico for 8 years now. In that time she has worn many hats. She has also grown and changed along with the Federico Beauty Institute. We sat down to find out a little bit more about her!
JNS: Hi Maria! Thank you so much for speaking with me, I know how busy you are. First off, what made you want to work for Federico?
MC: When I started here at Federico it was because my mother’s neighbor was a previous employee here and had worked in the café. She had told me about a position open here and at the time I was unemployed and needed a job. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it, but I knew what the company was about and it seemed like a pretty cool set up. It ended up growing on me and I’ve now been with Federico for around 8 years, with just a few leaves from having my two kids. I started here before I had even finished my senior year of high school as a cashier, and now I am a little older and a little wiser, with two kids. My official position here has gone from cashier to Café Manager.
JNS: How is it working around so many beauty industry professionals? Have you ever considered switching sides and doing hair or skin?
MC: When I first started working here I was still a teenager and people would always ask me if I was a student here. I would tell them I was actually an employee. I don’t see myself doing that type of career but I enjoy watching the students learn and grow. You can learn a lot just from being around it all the time.
JNS: Do you have any advice for students that are just starting out on how to make their time here better?
MC: I honestly recommend any future student to take advantage of the help they provide here. They offer a ton of amazing advanced education to help you learn and develop your skills. Also the educators are very helpful and they will teach you anything that you need help with. Sometimes I even ask the educators for advice and suggestions for when I get my hair done. I think that people come to start their career and they start to struggle because they don’t think to ask for help or fully take advantage of all the knowledge and experience the people here bring. They try their best but then give up too easily. This company is one big family that is here to support each other with any problems that students encounter, but if you need help, you need to ask for it.
JNS: Such good advice. It can be hard to ask for help, but once you do, it’s amazing how much you can learn. I say, always ask questions… Ok, on to lighter stuff. What are 5 things you can’t live without?
MC: Hmmm, 5 things I can’t live without? 1. My family, because without them I would not have the help and the support that means so much to me. 2. My coffee! Gotta have my cup of joe every morning to get my day started. 3. My car, obviously, without it I would not be able to come to work every day. It is key! 4. My phone because it keeps me connected to all the important people in my life and it provides entertainment. And 5. Would be food, because without that we would definitely not be able to survive in life, plus I gotta rep the café!
JNS: Yes! Coffee is life. Do you have any interesting facts about yourself or interesting skills or hobbies?
MC: I would like to travel somewhere that I haven’t been someday soon, maybe Hawaii or out of the country. I also like to learn new techniques with makeup! I like doing it even though I’m a little too lazy to do it on myself very often. I also like wine tasting, it’s so relaxing and fun when you go with friends.
JNS: Thank you so much Maria! I feel like I learned so much about you today!