On Wednesday, our Albany High Barbering III students welcomed a very special guest: New York Secretary of State, Walter T. Mosley!
At the Department of State, Mosley works to improve the lives of New Yorkers in a variety of ways, including catalyzing economic mobility and regulating licensed occupations such as barbering.
During his visit, Mosley shared words of encouragement and inspiration with our students, urging them to boldly embrace the opportunities at hand.
"I'm just pleased and honored to know you guys are taking initiative to identify your passion, to do everything necessary to make that passion translate to something tangible and beneficial, not only for yourselves, but for your families and for your community," said Mosley.
Mosley demonstrated his confidence in our students not only through his words, but also by getting a haircut right on the spot! Seniors Zaki Abdul-Hameed, Angel Duran Martinez, Tehjon Taylor and Yasmile Vasquez collaborated together to give Mosley an impressive edge-up.
Check out this video of our students in action!
Our barbering program began at Albany High six years ago, and has grown significantly since its inception. For the 2025-26 academic year, we have 147 students enrolled in barbering classes, 18 of which are in Barbering III.
We are so thankful for public servants like Mosely who take the time to connect with our students and spur them on to greatness!