If You’re With Me So Far, Say “Yes” | Taylor Andrews Platform artist Sam Villa

“YES” echoed back to the platform in the front of the the classroom at the West Jordan Taylor Andrews Campus after visiting artist and world-renowned stylist Sam Villa checked in with the audience.

On January 28th, 2016, Sam Villa and a few members of his team visited Taylor Andrews to demo the new Sam Villa hair kit that Taylor Andrews has adopted; and the turnout was better than we could have hoped.

Students piled into the largest classroom at the West Jordan campus to watch and listen to a living legend in the hair industry.

“If you’re with me so far, say ‘yes’,” Villa would periodically call out to the students as a way to gauge how well students were following along.

On stage, Villa braided, cut, twisted, and styled mannequin after mannequin to demonstrate the ergonomic design of his updated hair kit.

For Taylor Andrews students, days like this are common as there is a visiting platform artist, at least once a month, providing students to learn from industry leaders.

Kurt Garheime, the Director of Business Development at Sam Villa shared, “Taylor Andrews is a great academy group to partner with, because at Sam Villa we are so serious about developing the educational component with schools. Being here today, it is clear that Taylor Andrews is just as serious about this themselves.”

Taylor Andrews is nothing if not serious about providing our students with the most comprehensive and well-rounded education we can, as seen in our effort to officially partner with the Sam Villa brand. Currently, the Sam Villa brand is partnered with 22 schools across the country in more than 10 states,Taylor Andrews being the most recent.

 

“The tools are just the centerpiece of the Taylor Andrews investment in their students. We are hoping that our brand provides students with great tools and great education,” Garheime added.

Students were beyond excited to not only learn from Sam Villa’s presentation, but to have an opportunity to meet and speak with him as well.

Brianna Zupancic, a Taylor Andrews student, says she was genuinely inspired by Villa and she appreciated his teaching style. “He wants you to see everything! If you miss something, he will show you again and that is so wonderful,” Zupancic added.

Brianna also mentioned that Taylor Andrews is “just the kind of place that does things like this,” adding, “I haven’t been to another school, but I definitely feel like we get more opportunities. I chose Taylor Andrews because it just felt right!”

Trevor Obrey, another Taylor Andrews student, said that having the opportunity to see someone like Sam Villa solidified his confidence in choosing Taylor Andrews Academy.

“Watching him was kind of awe-inspiring actually. He is the best and you can see why,” said Trevor. “I aspire to be in runway and doing the kind of stuff that Sam does often; learning about his journey helped to put things into perspective for me.”

Trevor mirrored Brianna’s thoughts about Taylor Andrews and the quality of the school in general. “Taylor Andrews is the most phenomenal school I have been too and I feel so confident being here. They have an incredible outlook and they are really here for their students,” she said.

Another group of students who attended the event were from the newly opened Taylor Andrews School of Barbering. In attendance was Director, Fernando Petty, with his class of approximately five who study at the West Valley City campus location. They certainly made an impression on Villa, with their dapper attire and zeal for learning.

Vicente ‘Vinny’ Lemus, a Taylor Andrews Barbering student, commented, “It was inspiring! I want to go into barbering but I see that I can also be comfortable styling women’s hair.”

Villa, during his time on-stage, stressed the importance of not letting what you have been taught to do limit what you can learn to do. “Every tool has a particular purpose,” he exclaimed, “that provides a particular solution. People are looking for simplicity, that it why I made tools that are simple for you to use.”

After the demonstration, Villa posed with students for photos and answered industry questions, his closing thoughts shared with the few remaining students: “Don’t focus on why you can’t do something; and instead starting focusing on how you can do something better.”

 

Learn more about the Sam Villa kit now available to Taylor Andrews students.

Do you want a chance to meet and learn from platform artists like Sam Villa? Learn more, or call and schedule an appointment at the school nearest you.

Orem | Admissions: (801)-369-0914  Client Services: (801)-655-0797

St. George | Admissions & Client Services: (435)- 673-8150

West Jordan | Admissions: (801)- 245-0350  Client Services: (801)-748-2288

Taylor Andrews School of Barbering | Admissions: (801)-448-8590