Pregnant and kicked out at 19: How this hair stylist has come out strong

Cierra Davis has been working as a hair stylist for almost a year and a half, and at 23 she is already the assistant salon leader. Cierra also has two kids under the age of four. When she got pregnant at 19 she was living with her half-sister and still trying to graduate high school – until they kicked her out. She moved in with her boyfriend and his family and took the metro daily from Lorton, Virginia to DC to finish high school. At that time she was two months pregnant and had to pay $20 each day just to finish high school but her boyfriend’s family kept telling her that she was capable of graduating.

Thrown through a loop from day one of her life, no one ever expected her to come out as she has – standing tall and strong.

What was your original trajectory for your life?

After high school, going into the military was my original plan, but my father had passed away, and I was left alone in the world. I got pregnant, and when I had my daughter I was 19. I decided that I wanted to do something more flexible. That was cosmetology. I went to Paul Mitchell for a year, and I got my license and started doing hair.

How’d you get the job at Hair Cuttery in DC?

I went to Paul Mitchell, graduated, and continued to work a regular retail job at Benetton in Georgetown. Then I thought, “Why did I go to school for a year and spend all this money to go to Paul Mitchell just to continue to work in retail?” I decided to come to Hair Cuttery. I didn’t have a license then so they hired me as a receptionist. I was making basically no money. This was around a year and a half ago. I wasn’t that confident in doing hair when I first started. I didn’t know how to talk to the clients or have that much hands on experience. Then I took my state boards, which is the test that gives you the license, and I failed it. I went back to retake it a month later, and I passed. It took me a while to actually be on the floor.

 

You’ve been licensed for almost a full year. Do you have an end goal you’re working towards?

I’ve always wanted to work at PR at Partners. It’s a higher end salon. I got complacent here because I fit in so well, and I already know everybody. With two kids, it’s just more convenient because I live five minutes down the road. PR at Partners is in Old Town. That’s another adjustment with having kids. [I don’t know what to expect.] I also got a promotion here as the assistant leader. I want to learn the ropes of what it’s like to run a salon because in the future I plan on owning my own salon or buying a house and having a salon in the basement. I want to get the experience here to see what it’s like to be a leader to the other stylists before I change plans. I’m going to stay here until I feel like I understand what it’s like and gauge what my income could be here. When I feel like I’m ready to go somewhere else, I’ll make those steps. I want to create a [really] good relationship with this company so if I do go somewhere else and it doesn’t work out I can just as easily come back.

What have you struggled with?

I doubt myself a lot. I’m scared to fail. That’s how I am. It took a lot of coaching and mentoring from the older stylists to get in there and be good. The longer you’re in the business, you learn how to read people, and its a matter of connecting with the client. I just had to keep trying. It depends on my mood too. If a client comes into my chair doubting me sometimes I’m not in the mood for that and I just think, “Okay you’re just going to continue to doubt me.” If I’m in the mood I can kind of change how they think. It’s like a mental game. I don’t have a choice but to make it. My problem is self esteem and confidence, and I’m trying to target it. If I do then I can in turn make more money. Sometimes I feel like giving up, but I’m not going to give up just yet because I don’t really understand the full potential of this industry, and what I could do with it.

How has your past shaped the decisions you make for your future?

I know some people give their kids up, but I could never do that because I’ve been abandoned by my mom, and I know what that’s like. I had a rough upbringing so I want to stop that whole cycle of bad parenting and a bad lifestyle. It inspires me. I’m in this world by myself, my dad passed away of lung cancer, and my mom’s not there. I have no excuse to just sit back and wait. I think what really drives me was watching my dad die of cancer. It scared the hell out of me. The way I live my life now is to do as much as I possibly can each day because that could be me. If I don’t get anything accomplished in a day, I feel horrible. I feel like there’s always so much to be done.

What would you tell people in your situation?

I would tell them to look on the bright side, and don’t give up so easily. I know it sounds like a cliche, it’s true. Things don’t come easily, and you’ve got to work towards it. I started from the bottom, now I’m here (laughs). Not exactly where I want to be, but I’m working towards it. [I started out as a receptionist not knowing anything at all, and now I’m here, I’m the assistant.] I’m above the ladies that were here. I take a little bit of good from everybody and I make it my own thing. It’s all about being an individual. You can’t be afraid of failure. That’s something that I’ve learned. [I was afraid of failure.] I got a job in Georgetown at a [blow] dry bar. I wanted that job more than anything, and my struggles got me fired. Me being late to work was a major issue. I was homeless, living in a shelter, and dealing with domestic violence. I was at my all time low. When I got fired from that job I wanted to give up. I felt like I wasn’t good enough, and that’s why I came into this job with very little confidence and no self esteem. I came here and I was failing, I was continuing to fail. I almost lost my job because I couldn’t get my license. I ended up making it.

I learned that sometimes failure is a good thing, and you have to work through it and not let it stop you. The only place you have to go is up. If you fail that’s okay. It’s a discovery, you can learn from it.

You can follow Cierra on her killer Instagram.