Nina’s cut out for a job she loves

By Marc McGowan
GEMBROOK teenager Nina Scandizzo is so passionate about hairdressing that she even skipped a few maths lessons in year 10 to pursue her love.
“I wasn’t too keen on school. At the end of year 10, I wagged a few maths classes to come to work,” Ms Scandizzo, 18, laughed.
“My boss was totally oblivious to it all!”
It has been a longheld ambition for the hairdressing apprentice to earn a living looking after other people’s hair.
“Probably since I was about three,” she said. “I was always playing with hair. I used to do everyone’s hair at home.”
It is a common vocational choice in the Scandizzo family, with many of her family members going down the same path.
“My family runs way back as either hairdressers or accountants – I guess I went with the hairdressing,” Ms Scandizzo laughed.
“I just love the interaction with people and working with the girls. It’s great.”
She is heading into the final year of her threeyear apprenticeship and is thoroughly enjoying her time at POL Hair Design in Pakenham.
“[The money] might not be much, but it’s awesome being able to do something you love,” Ms Scandizzo said.
“I do the cleaning, sweeping up the hair, washing the bowls up, but I wouldn’t call that bad.”
The former St Francis student has lofty goals for herself and hopes to eventually open up her own hairdressing salon, and then possibly franchise it overseas.
“That’s definitely one of my goals. I also do some beauty work, waxing and stuff like that,” she said.
Ms Scandizzo has come a long way in the last few years, as she has learnt the hairdressing ropes.
“Perming is the most frustrating thing to do of all hairdressing stuff, but once you get the hang of it it’s alright,” she said.
“You practise on mannequin heads and if you get it wrong, you do it ten times over until it’s perfect. Then when you’re confident enough, you move onto a client.”