Photo via: CBS Philly
After completing barber training at the Junior Barber Academy in Philadelphia, 8-year-old Neijae Graham-Henries has been using her skills to impact the community by offering free haircuts to her peers, reports CBS Philadelphia.
P. Michael Boone, who leads the barbering program Graham-Henries participated in, says she was both the youngest and only girl in his class over the summer. At the time, Graham-Henries was just 7 years old.
“I never expected to see a young lady in my class, but she was eager to learn, and I gave her the same guidance I’d give my older students,” he told Yahoo News. “I’m very proud of her. She was a great student and I am excited to see where this will take her.”
Photo via: Michael Boone
Graham-Henries was first introduced to the trade when her brother initially signed up to participate in Boone’s program. However, after deciding that barbering wasn’t for him, he opted not to complete the training and Graham-Henries signed up instead.
“The whole process is to finish it and do it really good and to, like, style it good,” the 8-year-old said in regards to how she approaches each haircut.
Recently, Graham-Henries worked alongside Boone at a back-to-school event for local kids where they gave free haircuts to nearly 400 students. In November, Boone says he plans to do another community service project where he will give free haircuts to the homeless and he’s already asked Graham-Henries if she can be there to help.