The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 12, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 28, 2010 Page: 3 of 6
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The Rambler I www.therambier.org
Campus
April 28, 2010
Student provi des beacon o hope
Jonathan Resendez
jlresendez@mail.fxwes.edu
Not three blocks from Wes-
leyan, the Internationally
Renowned Beauty Academy
bustles with activity
Babies cry while receiving
their first haircut as a dozen
cosmetology students try to
hone their craft. The phone
never stops ringing at the
IRBA.
Linda McSwaim, senior
business administration ma-
jor, orchestrates the IRBAs
commotion with an enor-
mous smile on her face. Mc-
Swaim, 52, is the academy's
director of 11 years as well as a
teacher, student, wife, mother
and entrepreneur.
"This is my life," McSwaim
said. "I love education, but I
also love beauty and doing
hair."
The screaming children
don't bother McSwaim. She
enjoys them because she
knows they'll come back at
ease. A veteran cosmetolo-
gist of 22 years, McSwaim re-
turned to school to learn how
to excel as a business owner.
"I kind of put the cart before
the horse," she said. "If I had
went through college first, I
would be more organized,
which is why I'm taking man-
agement classes."
She had real-world experi-
ence, but she said her business
theory was lacking. About
eight years ago, she made her
first million dollars—only to
turn around and lose two mil-
lion.
"I didn't know how to run
my business properly," she
said. "The theory and the
practicum go hand-in-hand.
Now I know why I need a cer-
tified personal accountant."
While McSwaim aims to
receive her degree by Decem-
ber, her journey at Wesleyan
began decades ago.
She first enrolled at Wesley-
an in 1980 while also working
for the Star-Telegram. A lucra-
tive promotion to customer
service supervisor after only
six weeks lured her away from
her studies.
"That's the thing that ruins
some people," she said. "When
you get a job and you see the
little money, you don't realize
you can make bigger money if
you have a college education."
The money from Mc-
Swaim's position led her to
get an apartment, buy a new
car and eventually withdraw
from Wesleyan and follow her
childhood dream—cosmetol-
ogy school.
"I've had every Barbie there
is," she said. "I've cut, curled,
braided, weaved [their hair]—
everything."
McSwaim said she would
also style her pets' hair as a
child and sometimes steal her
mom's Nice and Easy black
dye to use on her dolls.
While all grown up and
in cosmetology school, Mc-
Swaim got married.
"She's the same as when I
met her," said Sam McSwaim,
Linda's husband of 25 years.
"She's very outgoing and loves
helping people out. She ex-
tends herself more than most
people would."
Courtesy of Jeremy Burnett
Linda McSwaim owns and operates the IRBA while maintaining a life as a student, mother and wife.
Sharing a kindred entrepre-
neurial spirit, they ventured
across the country after mar-
rying, working various po-
sitions until settling in Fort
Worth and eventually taking
helm of the IRBA.
"A lot of people talk but Lin-
da will get out and do it," Sam
McSwain said. "You never
know what tomorrow brings.
A lot of people will procras-
tinate and that's what holds
them back in life."
The IRBA was ranked best
beauty school in Texas two
years in a row at the Texas
International Hair & Trade
Convention. Over the last 10
years, it has graduated more
than 700 students.
"I'm giving students a
chance to exhale and be self-
employed or work anywhere
they want," McSwaim said.
Some students have gone
to clear six figures six months
after graduating, McSwaim
said. Potential students are re-
quired to have a GED or high
school diploma to enroll, and
McSwaim hopes some of her
students will follow her ex-
ample and pursue a college
degree.
Robert Rasco, executive di-
rector of the nonprofit orga-
nization CherryWood House,
studied and worked with
McSwaim while they both at-
tended Tarrant County Col-
lege.
"She has had a lasting im-
pression on my life and will
have on many single parents
who will probably never know
her name," he said. "Linda is
truly a community leader."
CherryWood House strives
to help single parents in every
way possible, Rasco said. Mc-
Swaim offered 20 free haircuts
to give out to volunteers who
help with an upcoming ben-
efit concert May 14.
McSwaim's daughter, An-
drea, plans to follow in her
mother's footsteps and open
her own salons and enroll
at Texas Christian Univer-
sity. Andrea can attest to her
mother's work ethic and self-
sufficiency.
"I'm 23, and I can't tell
you the last time she worked
for someone else," she said.
"Sometimes, I don't see her.
She'll get up at 6 or 7 and work
until 3 or 4."
Although struggles have
arisen, Andrea McSwaim said
her mother always manages to
get things done.
"She's not a cry baby," she
said. "She'll do pretty much
anything to meet her goals."
BUSINESS
continued from page 1
that is current and cutting
edge."
Vaidya also said accredita-
tion by the AACSB will help
students find jobs and get into
graduate school. Although not
all graduate schools may be
familiar with Texas Wesleyan,
they all recognize the AACSB,
he said.
Dr. Hector Quintanilla,
dean of the school of business,
said students will receive mul-
tiple benefits from the accredi-
tation.
"Their degree will come
from a school with the pre-
mier international accredita-
tion agency for schools and
colleges of business," he said.
"It opens doors wider for stu-
dents in the business sector."
Quintanilla cited Lockheed-
Martin as an employer who
won't hire students whose
business degree didn't come
from an AACSB accredited
school.
"It's obviously for the best,"
said Lydia Reyes, senior fi-
nance major. "It's better for us
as students. They're going to
change their teaching styles,
and we're going to get our
money's worth."
The process could take up
to seven years and will put the
business school on par with
those of Texas Christian Uni-
ersity and the LTniversity of
North Texas.
WT
BENEFITS ADVISOR
Department of Labor
For more information:
http://jobview. usajobs.gov/
CREW LEADER
SCA-Dallas
For more information:
www. thesca. org/user/register
Brought to you by
Career Services and
The Rambler
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forensic experts featured in the exhibit and enjoy free demos
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Get your tickets at the door or call 817-255-9540 to order by
phone. Must show valid college ID. Stars Cafe will be open
throughout the evening.
FORT WORTH MUSEUM
SCIENCE AND HISTORY
1600 Gendy Street. Fort Worth, TX 76107
817.255.9300 . fortworthmuseum.org
©flin-j Star-Telegram
™CBS ©2000-2010 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. and Entertainment AB Funding LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Resendez, Jonathan. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 12, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 28, 2010, newspaper, April 28, 2010; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201301/m1/3/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.