It was a Thursday afternoon, and the Cisco College Cosmetology Department was flooded with football players who wanted facials and braids for their weekend. A person who has developed a reputation for braiding is Kalisha Casey, a cosmetology student who commutes 45 minutes every day from her home in Gordon. Braiding began as a hobby for her; she could French-braid her own hair. Then she had some friends who were brothers. “I started braiding his hair. I learned how to flip a French braid inside out, and make the braid smaller, and that’s how I got a corn-row braid. It’s called a Dutch braid.” “I was re-braiding hair every day just for the fun of it. Then his brother’s hair got long enough and I started braiding his hair too.” At Cisco College word started spreading of her ability to braid. One of the people who took advantage of her skills was Katie Thompson in the Financial Aid office; Kalisha did bubble braids on Katie’s hair for her “Trashcan Mom” activities for her son’s Friday night football games. Kalisha says many kinds of braids exist. “Microbraids are the hardest; they’re tiny. Box braids would take 6 to 8 hours: that’s washing it, drying it, being able to part it, greasing the part, and then starting the braids. Bricklaying, they call it.” Dreadlocks are also a popular request. She also does elegant braids for proms and special events, “like the Waterfall Mohawk braid.” This style cascades over the head like a waterfall. She also likes to do a French braid that is loose but starts on one side and then drapes over the shoulder. Kalisha had done bubble braids on a little girl with long hair earlier in the day. “It’s the newest braid right now that everybody’s really hyped up about.” Rubber bands are used to hold the hair down, and then the hair is gently pulled and rounded to form a bubble. “It’s cute.” She decided to go to cosmetology school because her grandmother, Delores Witt, is a beautician in Gordon. “She is 78 years old. She has been doing hair since she was 25. She retired 10 years ago, but she hasn’t stopped yet—she’s still in the shop,” the Hair Pin Beauty Shop in Gordon. “She does all the older ladies of the town. She’s done them for 40 years. Once they pass away, she goes down to the funeral home, because she’s always done it; they don’t want anybody else to do it. And I just hope that . . . if she goes before me . . . that I’m able to do that for her. Because she deserves that. I love her. She’s a great inspiration. “ At Cisco College cosmetology, “I’ve learned how to add in hair with my braids, I’ve learned how to give facials, we’ve learned color correction, which is a big thing. I’ve learned how to cut hair. I wasn’t ever really that good at cutting hair--if you know what a bob is, it’s a very difficult haircut. And I’ve learned to master it.” Kalisha has also enjoyed going to special events that Cosmetology has participated in, such as a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s in Abilene, and workshop conventions. After graduation on Dec. 5, Kalisha plans to return in the spring to begin barber school. Her ultimate goal is to own a beauty shop like her grandmother “but not take over hers. We’re on two different generations of hair. But yes, I’m just hoping that I can have the shop beside hers, on a little hill that hers is on. “ Kalisha said she is particularly grateful to Rhonda Bryant, director of Cisco College’s Cosmetology Department. “I’m very thankful for Miss Rhonda. She has been excellent. I have learned so much over here. And we stay busy. She makes sure that we all get plenty to do. I am super happy to be here. It’s a great opportunity if you really want to learn EVERYthing about cosmetology. Every bit of it. You ain’t leaving nothing out over here. I’m really happy about that.”
