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SHARI BOWER:
HEADING BACK TO SCHOOL IN STYLE by Leonor Suarez
Photos by Mike Yebba, My Photographer Orlando
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or the sixth year, Orange Appeal has teamed up with Lisa Maile of Lisa Maile Seminars & Coaching, along with hair stylist Ana Yebba, Leslie Christin of Studio CARA and photographer Mike Yebba, to present the Back-to-Class Makeover. The contest rewards one hard-working Central Florida educator with a hair and makeup transformation as well as a $500 shopping spree cour-
tesy of The Mall at Millenia for a new back-to-school wardrobe. This year’s winner is Shari Bower, who will begin her sixth year of teaching at Lake Nona High School. On the day of her transformation and photo shoot, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shari and the team that made her Back-to-Class Makeover a reality. The day began early at Jim Boone & Co. Salon’s recently renovated location, where the team gathered and hair stylist Ana talked about her plans for Shari’s hair. Since her chocolate brown hair color complemented her skin tone so well, Ana decided to leave the base color alone, but add in some highlights to give Shari’s hair dimension. While waiting for the color to set, the team caught up like old friends. Shari’s warm and open personality made my job extremely easy; she gladly spoke about her 21 years of experience in education, her passion for nursing and what prompted her to enter the makeover contest. Shari told me that for her first three years at Lake Nona High School she was the school nurse in addition to teaching at the school’s Health Career Academy and leading the Academy’s EKG technician program. Seeing as half of her days were spent interacting with teenagers in the nurse’s office, Shari felt that wearing scrubs was the most appropriate way to come dressed for school. Soon, the high school’s Health Career Academy became so populous that Shari had to devote all of her time to instructing and left her position as school nurse. While she no longer worked as the school nurse, she still wore her scrubs to school every day. Shari admits that wearing scrubs “feels like you’re wearing pajamas all day,” but after nearly six years of wearing them to school, she said she could no longer go with the “I’m a nurse, I can just wear scrubs” excuse.
Top left: Shari (in a INC lace jacket and surplice top, and Alfani skirt, from Macy’s) with Lisa Maile, Lisa Maile Seminars & Coaching; bottom left: Shari with Leslie Christin, Studio CARA; Middle: Shari, before; right: Shari with hair stylist Ana Yebba 42
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