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ULUKHAKTOK/HOLMAN
In November, Kayla Kaodloak joined an after-school hairdressing class, in January she cut her first head of hair and in February she competed in the NWT-North Regional Skills Competition in Inuvik.

Kayla Kaodloak, left, and Rhea Klengenberg both competed in the NWT-North Regional Skills Competition in Inuvik on Feb. 24. Kaodloak will be competing in the Territorial Skills Competition in Yellowknife on April 17. "I'm very excited," she said. "The second I found out I was jumping for joy." - photo courtesy of Kayla Kaodloak

When she walked away with a silver medal in hairstyling, she guaranteed her spot in the Territorial Skills Competition, to be held in Yellowknife next month.

"I think I've come a long way from not knowing how to actually cut and style hair. I guess you could say I learned a lot," said the Grade 12 student at Helen Kalvak School in Ulukhaktok. "I guess you could say I have a passion for it."

Kaodloak credits the woman who runs the after-school class – her principals' wife, Marilyn Bryant – for helping her pick it up so quickly. The students met two or three times per week and gradually Kaodloak learned to cut short hair, long hair, layered hair and bob cuts. Before she joined the class, the only hair she had ever cut was her own bangs.

There isn't a hair salon in Ulukhaktok, so now the class takes appointments and practices on community members who come in for a free cut. One of her teachers, Elissa Whiffen, acted as her very first client in January.

"I was nervous. I kind of felt like I knew what I was doing, and Marilyn was there to help me," she said.

Kaodloak's next challenge came on Feb. 24 when she competed in the NWT-North Regional Skills Competition in Inuvik. Bryant helped with her training, and she practised doing different styles of up-dos and cuts. When it came time for the competition, Kaodloak ran out of time, but her classic up-do and modern-day cut still earned her second place.

"We don't have this kind of opportunity," she said of the Skills Canada competitions. "They're actually giving us a great experience which will last forever."

The 17-year-old hopes to study hairstyling when she graduates, at either Eveline Charles Academy in Edmonton or the Vancouver Hairdressing Academy.

"I love the fact that you can express your own originality with hairdressing," she said.

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