For cosmetology instructor Brenda White-Gatlin as students come into her classroom her motivation for teaching is that she wants them to learn.

“I want my students to be ready to work,” White-Gatlin said last Monday.

White-Gatlin received the 2005 Businessperson of the Year award on Aug. 27.

She said that she has been cutting hair since she was 11 years old.

From the time her sister gave her her first chance she knew that she wanted a career in cosmetology.

She was surprised that she received the award, and she says that she was the only cosmetology professor to receive an award.

With more than 30 years of teaching cosmetology Gatlin explains that she could not have seen herself doing any other type of work.

She says that learning cosmetology, “paid off” because she knows that there is a benefit to learning the cosmetology field.

Cosmetology students agree.

“Cosmetology is a very lucrative career,” Carmen Baratas, cosmetology major, said.

She adds that cosmetology can be competitive, but having professor White-Gatlin teaching the class curves that because students are “her focus.”

Liz Ambrocio, cosmetology major says that in cosmetology she has learned, “people skills, and to be comfortable with what you do.”

Ambrocio says that the first thing that she learned when she first took a cosmetology class with professor White-Gatlin is “you put God first.”

Considering that more women are enrolled in cosmetology, Anthony Brown, cosmetology major, said, “I’m not intimidated by taking the class.”

Brown is one of two men enrolled in White-Gatlin’s class.

He said that White-Gatlin is “an awesome teacher.”

He also said that he has always wanted to be a cosmetologist and that he is following his dream.

White-Gatlin said that cosmetology teaches students to be “good.”

In addition to being good at what you do, Brown said, “Students learn about customer service, along with cutting ethnic hair.”