Lucas Gunby

It all started as a kid I would sit in my mom's beauty parlor and watch her as she did people hair or as I will call it gave people life. It was something about how the people came in looking rough feeling down frustrated about different situations in life and my mom put so much love and passion into each hairstyle. Not only that she gave them a conversation that was uplifting at all times. Even though she was great at what she did she was more than a hairstylist she was a friend to the friendless a mother to the motherless a sister to the sister-less. She was also a mentor, counselor and a prayer warrior. As a kid I always said I wanted to make that type of impact on someone’s life even if it was just with a hairstyle. My father was a hard worker sometimes working three jobs just to provide for me and my brother and sister. He installed in me at a young age hard work and dedication will pay off. From there I began to start cutting hair through junior high and high school after high school I went to retain my barber license. I then opened multiple barbershops in the Chicago Heights neighborhood. I’d begin to see a dramatic change in my neighborhood a lot of violence and other things were going on and I wanted to make a change, so I then began to go to school to retain my instructors license and that’s where I came up with my teaching philosophy "reach one teach one". if I could just change my neighborhood in the neighborhoods around me one haircut at a time teaching one person at a time, I knew I could make a difference. With all that being said all the hard work and dedication brings me to today two kids at the age of 33 I am embarking on a journey of changing lives here in South Suburban College. I’m over grateful and appreciative for this opportunity not only are my kids looking up to me I have students looking up and relying on me to help them retain a barber license to hopefully provide for them and their family.