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Get your Scroller!Like any average 12-year-old, Rocky Coello desired to "fit in" with his classmates. As we all know, there is little mercy for a youngster lacking the latest clothes and hairstyles. Rocky asked his mother to bring him to a barbershop to get a haircut. His mother explained that she couldn't afford the expense, which was 8 dollars."When I heard that," Rocky, now 22, reminisces, "it really struck my heart to see my parents struggling to give me 8 dollars every 3 weeks to get a haircut." Using only a Gillette razor, he gave himself a fade in his bathroom mirror. "It came out pretty good considering what tools I used," says Rocky as a smile broadens across his goateed face.It was in his reflection that Rocky realized his passion for hairstyling. Rocky began to hone his trade using himself as a canvas when he was without a muse, and his friends when they were brave enough to fork over 8 dollars for a trim. In time, Rocky reached a level of command in his profession to step up his game to the next level. The only problem was, he was only 13 years old.When Coello walked into Clippers Barber Shop with his mother and inquired about a position, the manager replied derisively, "How old are you?" The manager's laughter having subsided, she explained the necessity of a certification. The sixth-grader Rocky was dejected with a foot out the door when his mother interceded on his behalf. That fateful moment forever changed Rocky's life.Coello's mother vouched for her son's merit as a stylist, convincing the reluctant manager to lament. The manager told Rocky to return with a demo, which he did the next morning an hour before the shop opened. The manager was impressed and hired Rocky on the spot.It was a thriving educational environment for Rocky while it lasted. The unruly atmosphere attracted unwanted attention to the shop. Mindful of potential fines and sanctions, the manager had to release the unlicensed prodigy after just under a year of employment.Rocky continued to cut hair in his backyard, with prices starting at $8 for a cut and $5 for a tape. At 16, Rocky decided to fill the lone void that held him back: He enrolled in Barber's School. Coello settled on Florida Barber Academy in Pompano Beach (Formerly known as Wolf Barber Academy in North Miami). He would be performing double duty, given that he was still a high school student in the daytime."It was really hard," Coello says of managing both endeavors. Leaving high school at 2:30 PM, Rocky would make the 30-minute bus ride to North Miami. From 4:00-9:30 PM, Rocky would study hard to master haircutting, while finishing his morning school homework during break periods. Besides learning the properties of the hair and skin, Rocky also had to study tricology, dermatology, bacteriology, myology, and neurology.While he continued to study his trade, Rocky stayed busy, working at Fade Center from 2001 until 2002. That year, Rocky began his relationship with Miami's Cut It Up in 2003, which is now his current home base.Two years after walking into Florida Barber Academy, Coello emerged with a Master's Barber License, certifying Rocky to style both men and women, as well as working on nails, manicures, facials, and chemical services."Everybody in my family was very proud of me. They saw me as the first one to have a real profession. When I drove to Clearwater, Tampa to take the test, my whole family went with me. They were so excited about it." At a mere 17 years of age, Rocky was the youngest licensed barber in the state of Florida.Now certified, Rocky possessed all the weapons to make him a marksman-barber. "I do it all," Rocky says. "I do scissors-cuts, razor-cuts, clippers-over-comb, shears-over-comb, chemicals, hair-dye, perms, relaxers, texturizers. I'm very well-rounded as a barber." Rocky lists the fade and blowout with bigen dye as his trademarks. "My style of cutting is more artistic and extreme so that it stands out from other cuts. If you're looking for your average haircut, you're looking in the wrong place."In 2005, Rocky and his partner Rasheed Miles were contracted by MTV and Crown Royal Liquor to style hair for the Video Music Awards at the Style Villa at the Sagamore Hotel in Miami's South Beach. Among the various celebrities whom they cut included Ed Lover, The Black Eyed Peas, Orlando Jones, Paul Wall, Frankie J, and R. Kelly's advisor George Daniels."That job was overwhelming," Rocky says in retrospect. "I was scared and nervous as hell. I knew I had the skills, but the lighting was bad and I couldn't stop sweating. There were a lot of media and photographers there, and I had to concentrate through that distraction." Using his guile and experience, Coello survived the hectic assignment. "I felt like if I could cut hair with that type of uncomfortable environment, I could cut anywhere. I went from being a regular barber to being a celebrity barber." Rocky's work was so exceptional that a showcase article was written in the Miami Herald focusing on his work. With his new credentials, Rocky's fee went from $15 to as high as $80.Rocky's continued attraction to hairstyling runs deeper than a young boy needing a fresh cut; It is the opportunity to grow as a person. "I saw that you could do a lot more. You can take it to Hollywood, fashion shows, or be a personal barber for a celebrity. It's more than that, though. It's my form of artistic expression."Soon after graduation, Rocky's peers began to take notice at the young clipper's work. "I went to a barber show in 2003 called Barber Boot Camp. A Major League Barber saw me and asked me to show him some examples of my work. We stayed in contact when we met up at shows. Last year in Atlanta, they made me an official Major League Barber."Coello is also a member of Road Cutters, a group of elite barbers that travel the globe bringing the barber shop to those whose schedule conflicts prevent them from making it to their local shop.The fashion industry has also been getting cool to the Rocky story. Salon Sense and National Solid Gold Hair Magazine, two leading national publications, have featured Coello's work in their pages.After an accomplished 10 year stint as a barber, Coello now moonlights as a teacher for Beauty Schools of America in Miami. "They were shocked because I look like I'm 15 years old," jests Coello of his students. In spite of his youthful appearance, Rocky has had no trouble getting the proper respect from his class, which he feels helps his pupils get the most out of his lessons.Coello's hands-on approach to teaching is a welcome wake-up call from the norm, his vibrant energy inspiring his classes' enthusiasm. "I did something that the students hadn't seen before. I wrote on the white board. The teacher's they've had just popped in a DVD and when the movie was completed, they had to read the chapter. I open the book and go through it with them. Pointing out the important facts, I feel I'm giving them a better chance at passing the state's board exam.A mainstay at fashion shows, Rocky stays true to his barber shop even as his star continues to rise. "What attracted the shop to me was the location. It was across the street from a country club. I saw that they had a lot of celebrity clientele." Rocky lists rappers Uncle Luke and DJ Laz, NBA superstar Shawn Marion as well as baseball players Pedro Martinez, Luis Castillo, and Lenny Harris as customers. "It's an upper class barber shop. This is the type of place where clients wouldn't hesitate to pay 30 dollars for a cut."With every client that sits in his chair, Rocky Coello proves that his clippers are among the sharpest in the business.
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