Elgin hairdressing student overcomes language barrier and self-doubts to graduate at UHI Moray

One of the UHI Moray students who graduated on Friday seriously contemplated giving up in the early days of her course.

Thankfully, though, Anna Rybacka pushed on to achieve success, obtaining a Level 6 HNC qualification in Current Hairdressing Techniques.

Anna emigrated from Poland in 2007 with limited English. She moved to Elgin from Fort William, had a daughter and opened her own salon, mainly catering for Polish clients as she still struggled with communication.

The salon closed due to Covid, which was a low point. However Anna then decided to study at UHI Moray because, even though she’d been hairdressing since 2007, she thought that as well as expand her knowledge it would help build her confidence in speaking to clients.

Anna said: “Over all those years, I just learned English myself. I had never been in a lesson or any class. I had a few local clients and they tried understand me and I tried to understand them.

“But the biggest problem was I didn't have any confidence. I still didn’t feel I was good enough at speaking.

“At that point, I thought that the best place for me would be college, where I can also find out everything about how hairdressers work here.

“But when I started, I really wanted to give up very quickly. I just gave myself one month until the first test.

“I thought, ‘I’m probably not going to pass. I'm too old and it's not for me’.

“But actually my first test went very, very well. I was very proud of myself, so I said, ‘Okay, there is no point giving up!’.”

Anna excelled in her course so much that she’s been named UHI Moray’s Level 6 student of the year.

Now, as well as renting a chair in a local salon, she’s also branching out in different directions.

She said: “This year I have just started working in London with beauty pageants. I prepare the beautiful ladies backstage for the competition.

“I'm working with Miss Poland UK and Ireland. I’ve also worked with Miss Generation a few times and I started working at Aberdeen Fashion Week.

“They actually just nominated me to be head of the styling team, so I'm going to work with them twice a year.

“I am also doing my own collection for Nottingham this year and I have some ideas to put my own models on a catwalk. These are very important things for me.

“I am also writing for a magazine called Fashion Art Media, so I have my own column about hairdressing, which is really hard for me because I still have to use the translator.

“I’m asking my friends and family, ‘Is this correct?’”

Anna feels none of this would have been possible if she hadn’t made the decision to study at UHI Moray.

She’s now applied for a Higher National course, starting next January

Anna said: “I'm very very proud of myself. I never thought I would end up achieving this qualification. I just don't want to stop!”