Ismenia Olavarria
Ismenia Olavarria Arrojo Cosmetology School – New York, NY
While society often tells women they must be “more” to be beautiful, Ismenia says “being black is enough.” Like many busy moms, Ismenia is a big fan of the braided bun, but she says for many women, braiding is equated with pain. After discovering @mshairandhumor, an Instagram page created by 2016 Beauty Changes Lives winner (Vidal Sassoon) Kamila Gerestant, Ismenia was happy to learn on IG that braids don’t need to be painful. “Like Kamilah, I want to make an impact and help the world see that beauty doesn’t have to mean pain,” she says. As a beauty professional, Ismenia wants to make an impact. “I want people to know you are beautiful as you are; you don’t need to follow society.”
