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MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – What started arsenic a committedness astatine Valley State Prison (VSP) 4 years agone officially became world connected Wednesday.
Thanks to a concern betwixt the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, seasoned movie shaper and betterment advocator Scott Budnick and viral personage barber Victor Fontanez, the first-ever accredited barber academy wrong a California prison has officially opened.
Fontanez, amended known online arsenic VicBlends, built a monolithic pursuing done viral videos offering escaped haircuts and inspirational messages. He was astatine VSP for the ribbon-cutting of VicBlends Academy.
“I made a committedness to the guys present 4 years agone that we tin bash it and marque change,” Fontanez said. “So I’m conscionable grateful that I get to beryllium present contiguous to basal connected apical of that and travel my word.”
The barber academy is housed successful a once-abandoned situation salon that has since been transformed into a state-of-the-art barbershop, according to Warden O'Brian Bailey.
"This is simply a big, immense step," Bailey said. "When [incarcerated students] graduate, they're going to beryllium certified. Upon leaving this program, they're going to person their barber's license."
Officials accidental the extremity of the academy is to springiness incarcerated individuals a caller accidental to larn a trade, gain a licence and physique assurance for beingness extracurricular situation walls. Guiding them is longtime barber teacher Roberto Martinez, who’s been cutting hairsbreadth for much than 50 years.
“I had my barber’s licence earlier I had my precocious schoolhouse graduation,” Martinez shared.
“I americium truthful excited astir teaching these guys due to the fact that I cognize that, due to the fact that of this caller location, they’re going to bash better.”
Beyond clippers and combs, the caller barbershop besides features archetypal artwork. Incarcerated Artist Daniel Garcia painted the walls with bold murals meant to inspire.
“If I tin animate idiosyncratic done my art—whether it’s a idiosyncratic who is incarcerated, idiosyncratic free, oregon idiosyncratic conscionable passing by, that’s what it’s each astir for me,” Garcia said.
The expansive opening concluded with a barbershop competition, arsenic recently minted students enactment their skills to the test.
