Eight students from SAFE Achieve Academy of Chicago, part of the Chicago Public Schools’ Option Network, recently visited Yvenetta “Midge” Welch, the dedicated owner of Issues Barber & Beauty Salon, for a tour and Q&A session at her salon. The students, part of a cosmetology class at the school, had the opportunity to meet stylists and chat with them about their profession, as well as practice some of what they had learned about washing hair.

Throughout the spring semester, Yvenetta was instrumental in nurturing the students’ passion for hair styling and grooming as a potential career path.

According to Joseph Haley, executive director of SAFE Achieve Academy, the cosmetology program was launched after students expressed interest in the field. The program has already been transformative for many including Justice Williams, who says she would like to open her own salon.

Yvenetta’s dedication to empowering these young individuals stems from her own upbringing. “I wanted to help these students because I aspired to be the person I needed as a child.”

The day ended with a walk around the neighborhood to Wintrust Arena where the WNBA basketball team the Chicago Sky play and concluded with lunch at a Williams Inn for pizza. Yvenetta wished the young ladies a safe summer and looks forward to working with them again when school returns in August.

About SAFE Achieve Academy of Chicago: Safe Achieve Academy of Chicago is a transitional school for students who have experienced behavioral difficulties adapting to a traditional school environment. As these students have been referred from their home school, it is Safe Achieve Academy of Chicago’s mission to ensure that they return to their home school in a timely manner demonstrating marked improvement in behavior, attendance, and academics.