Issue link: https://www.ahpindiestylist.com/i/1528796
42 AHP Indie Stylist Volume 5 Issue 2 A talaya Figueroa's top priority is her family. And not just her husband and three daughters (ages 13, 8, and 3, the youngest of whom is nicknamed "Boss Baby" for her somewhat assertive personality) but also an entire community of students she's had the unique opportunity to provide for through grant money she raises every year at "Cut-a-on by a Blonde" ("Cut-a-on" for short). e love she has for her family shines through in everything she does, further fueling her passion for learning and growing in the industry she loves. "You have to have a passion in this industry," she says. "You have to love it because there are definitely hard days." is passion started early for Atalaya. She grew up on the southeast side of San Antonio, where she went to school at the Aveda Institute at 18 years old. After graduating with her license, she worked in an upscale salon where the other stylists took her under their wings so she could learn the tricks of the trade. "I grew up in a trailer. I didn't even know what sushi was," she says. "When I walked into that salon, I didn't know anything. I was a little Brown girl in this really upscale salon, but I knew that I wanted to be somewhere like that." Now, 18 years later, she owns her own business called Hair by a Blonde, where she specializes in blonding, all-over color, and extensions. Her business is beloved 2024 AHP Hair Pro of the Year Atalaya Figueroa believes in lifelong education, from her own to that of the students she gives back to through grant money T he Power of PAYING IT FORWARD by Jen Anderson