LAKELAND - Emmaleigh Ayotte has already graduated from the esthetician program at Lakeland college, but will be going back next April to start the clinical esthetician program, also offered at the post-secondary institution, as she furthers her education and begins her career.
Ayotte, who is originally from St. Paul, recently had the opportunity to take part in a Skills Canada national event, showing off her the knowledge she's acquired so far.
She says the opportunity came up when one of her teachers at Lakeland College approached the class, asking if anyone would be willing to compete in the upcoming Skills Canada event. Ayotte was encouraged by a friend to take on the opportunity. Taking part in the Skills Canada events would be a new experience for Ayotte, who says she has never participated in any Skills event in the past.
"This is all a new thing for me," she says.
Ahead of the national event, Ayotte took part in the Provincial Skills Canada competition, where she received gold in the aesthetics category.
While she doesn't know how she fared on the national stage as part of Team Alberta, Ayotte says the experience competing was amazing. The event was done entirely online, due to the pandemic, but Ayotte says her team at the college "knows how to always have fun."
She says the experience will be beneficial as she moves forward with her career as an esthetician. One of the lessons she learned through the experience was how to plan and complete things in a short amount of time, since competitors are only given a specific amount of time to do tasks.
"I’ve just always wanted to be something to do with beauty and makeup because I just loved doing it," says Ayotte, when asked why she chose to pursue a career as an esthetician. "I think what drew me to being an esthetician is seeing people smile after their appointment because you helped them feel a bit better about themselves."
Results from the national event will be made public on June 15.
