BEAUTIFUL DREAMS

By Christa Weber

Manhattan resident Jennie Lee embodies the American Dream.  A Korean immigrant and owner of two beauty schools.  School of Nail Art in Flushing and American Beauty Institute in Manhattan.  Lee came to the US in 1983, with her father and sister.  She had visions of a career in hotel business management but communication presented a barrier.  Though she had studied English in Korea at college, Lee still found herself woefully unprepared.

“When I first came to the U.S., I had learned to speak English in Korea, but I found the pronunciation was very different.  There were language problems and financial problems.  It was very difficult,” she said.

Instead of taking a language class and then finding a job, Lee took college courses in hotel management while also relearning English.  While she had been dreaming about owning a business in the United States, her more immediate concerns forced her to set those dreams on the back burner while she concentrated on just getting by.

“I didn’t even think about business ownership then.  I was too busy working hard learning English and studying,” she said. 

Unfortunately, it was the very financial problems that Lee was attempting to work around that put her studies on hold.

“I was really interested in running a hotel business.  But it was very hard to learn English and go to school at the same time.”

Fortuitously, the setback became her introduction to the beauty industry.  She had been working a part-time job with Lancome to support her education, but eventually she did not have enough money to continue her studies.  Instead, Lee became a full-time employee with Lancome, eventually earning enough money to put herself through beauty school.  For 12 years thereafter, she ran a nail and skin care salon in Manhattan.  In 1993, she met her husband, the owner of a deli and salad bar.  With his help and her own savings, in 1998 Lee opened the first of her beauty schools.  She opened the second in Flushing in 2002.

       “Running the school is a very hard business also, but I am very proud of myself,” Lee said.  “Many women get their licenses and I am proud of them too.”

Her schools serve mainly immigrants, coming from nine countries, who want to learn hair styling, nail design, skin care or waxing and then earn their license in one or more disciplines.  The courses range in time from 250 hours for nail specialists to 1,000 hours for would-be stylists.

Because of the difficulty Lee experienced when first arriving in the United States, she continues to help new American citizens become acclimated through job training.  Currently, she is lobbying for a change in the beauty industry licensing procedure that has been in effect since September 11^th.  Under the current standards, men and women who wish to take the test required to obtain a license must show two forms of ID.  Many new immigrants only have one form of United States identification and are barred from taking the exam.  The end result is people without jobs, struggling to survive.

“I try to help minorities because they have a hard time with the language and also financial problems.  I try to help women find jobs that they can do for their whole lives,” Lee said.  “Currently it’s harder to get your license, but I try to lobby for women to get the test and so be able to work.”

She also keeps close ties with her Korean heritage by continuing to celebrate the traditional holidays of her homeland and by spending time with her Korean friends.  She has volunteered at the Korean Family Council and Research Center, which offers family services and help for victims of domestic violence.  For four years, she served as vice president of the Korean Grocery Association, an organization that assists people in integrating into the American grocery industry.  Currently, Lee is serving as vice president of the Korean-American Association of New York.  Through these efforts, she feels that she is able to help the Korean community, as well as helping new Americans.

She sees her sister, who is a childrenswear designer in Korea, as much as she can and balances her time between her two businesses.  Jennie Lee’s work fills her days but she wouldn’t have it any other way.  While her eventual career path differed from her original goals of hotel business management, she is completely satisfied.

            “This, owning my own business, was my life’s dream.”