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Cosmetologist looks to pay it forward in 2020

"You can give someone money, or things they need, but to give them a skill they can take with them for life, that's bigger," Atalaya Lara said.

SAN ANTONIO — They say the best hairdressers never stop learning, but for Atalaya Lara, she never stops listening.

As a professional cosmetologist, she hears stories all day, but nothing hits closer to home than her own.

"Six years ago, I got divorced. I was a single mom. I had to come back home to Texas and I had nothing," Lara remembered. All she had was her cosmetology license and a dream of a better life for her family. "When I came home, I started working at a salon again, building up my clientele all over again, and it just took me a lot of places."

Places she never would have imagined her own business with its own accolades and the ability to give someone else their dream.

"I was like, 'I really want to help somebody with their career,' like, you can give someone money, or things they need, but to give them a skill they can take with them for life, that's bigger," she said. 

So Atalaya is hoping to do just that. In February, the cosmetologist is hosting a Cut-a-thon, providing haircuts for any monetary donation with all the funds going towards a future cosmetology student who may have a dream but not the means.

"Give a little bit of kindness at least once a day," she insisted. "You don't know, you can change that persons whole mentality."

It’s a mentality that's contagious. Nine other businesses have signed up to help out this boss that’s proving life's greatest lessons come from kindness. 

The Cut-A-Thon is scheduled for February 16 at the Vice Boutique from 12:00-5:00 p.m. For more information visit their Facebook page.

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