Spotlight From the Heart:

Shayla’s Story: Unstoppable

“If failure isn’t an option, then you’ll succeed,” Shayla says. “That’s how I see it, I just never gave up.”

Shayla has always been a fighter. From a young age, she carried a fire inside her, a drive to build something better for herself and the people she loves, no matter what stood in her way.

While most teenagers were focused on prom and graduation, Shayla was working two jobs as a server and at Fred Meyer, just to keep her family afloat. Her senior year of high school was not about parties or senior pictures; it was about survival. She, her mom, and her little brother faced homelessness, bouncing between friends’ houses and long-term stay hotels. At just 18, Shayla was already carrying the weight of keeping her family together.

Despite it all, she didn’t stop dreaming. She had always been drawn to the beauty industry, imagining a future where she could help people feel confident and cared for. But with so many immediate needs in front of her, finishing high school slipped out of reach.

At 19, Shayla learned she was pregnant and instead of holding her back, it lit a new fire. She knew she wanted more for her child: stability, pride, and a future she could be proud of. She left her job, kept working at Fred Meyer as long as she could, and even took on gig jobs like food delivery to stay on her feet. In the later stages of her pregnancy, she had to stop working altogether. Buther mind never stopped planning the next move.

Determined to get her diploma and pursue her dream, Shayla enrolled at Columbia Basin College. It wasn’t easy, she took winter classes, tackled an online English course, and passed the math GED test to meet all her requirements. Balancing motherhood, classes, and daily life challenges could have been overwhelming, but Shayla pushed forward with fierce determination.

With her high school diploma finally in hand, she took her next big step: enrolling at Victoria’sAcademy of Cosmetology to become a Master Esthetician. FAFSA funding, the support of herWIOA employment specialist, and the encouragement from her teachers kept her movingforward. Her baby’s dad and grandma also stood beside her, helping her stay focused on her goal.

Day after day, she showed up, learning, practicing, and mastering her craft. It wasn’t just aboutpassing exams; it was about proving to herself that she was capable of creating the life she hadalways envisioned. And she did it. Today, Shayla is a licensed Master Esthetician and is already dreaming bigger. She plans to open her own esthetics business, offering facials, lashes, brows, and waxing. She wants her space to be more than a beauty studio, she wants it to be a place where people feel seen, supported, and transformed, just as she was during her own journey.

Shayla’s story is not simply about overcoming hardship. It’s about refusing to settle, choosing to bet on herself again and again, and turning every obstacle into a steppingstone. Her spirit shows us what it truly means to be unstoppable. We are proud to have walked alongside her, and we can’t wait to watch her build the beautiful, bold future she has always imagined.