Losing light of Christmas

Sophomore Juliette Martinez began her first year in “The Rosette Media” because she has a love for writing, wants to meet new people, and wants to be more involved in school. When she was little she had a dream of being able to publish a book someday, and she still hopes to fulfill that childhood dream someday. In her free time she loves watching the saddest movies and shows even when she is at her happiest, spending time with her siblings, eating sweet treats, hanging out with her mom, and journaling. Her mom is her best friend, and she literally follows her everywhere like a lost puppy. Throughout her life her mom has been her biggest supporter. She always has her back, deals with her dramaticness and listens to her nonsense stories she always has after school. Juliette is a very sweet person but kind of awkward and introverted, but usually she is a very joyful person and is always smiling or laughing. Her future plans are to become a licensed cosmetologist; she is currently in the cosmetology endorsement and will hopefully have her license once she graduates. For her first year of “The Rosette Media” she hopes to improve her writing skills, get out of her comfort zone, and make new friends!  

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Hair Hysteria: Sophomore Juliette Martinez’s love for hair. Reported by: Abdulsalam Alli   Hair is more than just strands to style—it’s a lifelong passion, a form of self-expression, and a dream she hopes to turn into a career. Whether it be styling Barbie dolls or making a mishap of her own head, hair has always been more than just a body part for her: it is a representation of self. Ever since she was young, Sophomore Juliette Martinez has been obsessed with hair. “I’ve been doing hair since I was around six,” Martinez said. “I would always do different hairstyles on my hair, and I would give myself haircuts. When I was little, I would do little pigtail braids, and it wasn’t that good, but I was proud of it.” Her love for hair doesn’t just come from within but from the people around her. “I do hairstyles on my little sister and my cousins, but I never cut their hair,” Martinez said. “I learned how to do different braids on them and have been doing them since I was 10. I used to put fake extensions in their hair and sometimes I would even put chalk in their hair letting them color it a little. I just always liked messing with the colors.” There is one family member who isn’t too excited to be a part of her experiments. “I wish I could do my cousin Adelyn’s hair,” Martinez said. “My cousin has really healthy hair, but she won’t let me touch it. She doesn’t trust me because I used to give myself really bad haircuts. I gave myself bangs, bobs, and it was really bad.” The person who played the biggest role in Martinez’s obsession was the person closest to her. “My mom always encourages me to try new things with my sister, and she always wants me to practice on her,” Martinez said. “I think she likes seeing me express myself. She was a big factor in my love for hair. She has really curly hair, and I always try to help her manage it and take care of it. I would style it for her or straighten it when she wanted me to. Doing her hair made me realize that I really loved styling hair. She just always gave me new ideas, and encouraged me to keep going.” Sometimes the things we are best at become the hardest things to do. “I think braiding is both the easiest and hardest hairstyle to do,” Martinez said. “When I’m doing my sister’s ponytails, it’s quick and easy. It’s something I’ve always known how to do. At the same time there are so many different types of braids that the possibilities can make it difficult to do.” As her confidence and skills have grown, Martinez has also begun experimenting with her own look. “I like my blonde balayage hair,” Martinez said. “I like it because it’s not too colorful, but it’s still a really good blonde color; and it’s different from my natural hair. I haven’t dyed my own hair, but hopefully I can do that one day. Going to a salon can be expensive, and I feel like it would be fun just for me to be able to do it on my own too.” From pigtails to balayage, Martinez has (almost) tried it all. “I would say my favorite color to dye is red,” Martinez said. “I feel like a lot of girls dye their hair red when they just want a big transformation. Unfortunately, my mom won’t let me but I really want to. I feel like that would be my next color. I feel like it would express me really well. My mom says it’s too out there, and I’ll look crazy; but I think I would love it.” Hair serves a purpose, and to Martinez it defines who you are. “ It’s not just doing hair that makes me feel happy, the fact that I can make someone feel better about themselves is what makes me happy,” Martinez said. “I just like that with hair, you can experiment different things, and you can just switch it up when you want to. I think it’s just a good way to express yourself.” With all this enthusiasm for her passion, Martinez plans to pursue it further. “I’ll be able to have my cosmetology degree when I graduate,” Martinez said. “While I’m still in the class, I’ll be able to volunteer at a salon. Hopefully right after high school I can start working at a salon. Maybe later I could even start my own hair salon. I feel like it’s always been a dream of mine. I’ve always wanted my own space and I remember the first time that I dyed my hair, the salon was so pretty. I just remember thinking that I really wanted to have something like that one day.”