Campus Spotlight___________________________________

Switching Up Styles

From catering to movie stars to now serving local customers, beauty stylist and student Maral Kochayan is striving for a normal life

By JENNA NIELSEN

When you talk to 25-year-old Fresno State senior Maral Kochayan, you’ll hear all about her family and how much she loves her job at The Spectrum Salon in Fresno.

You won’t hear, though, that she used to style hair and do makeup for celebrities, or that she has worked on the sets of numerous movies.

She’s much too humble to boast.

Kochayan is majoring in political science at Fresno State, and though she wants to continue her work as a cosmetologist, she is very driven to get her bachelor’s degree.

“It’s a really neat feeling,” Kochayan said. “My parents didn’t have an opportunity to go to school, so it’s a good feeling that I get the chance to.”

Kochayan’s fiance, Elias Suakjian, is proud that she wants to finish school.

“I think it is admirable for someone to go through college even when they don’t have to,” Suakjian said.

“She is here because she wants to be here, not because she has to.

“She is doing what she is passionate about,” Suakjian said. “She has the ability to balance our upcoming wedding, a recent move, school and work, and she is able to do it all while keeping her head up and her spirits up.”

Jon Gillespe, a political science major, gets his hair cut by Kochayan.

“Maral inspires me to learn more,” said Gillepse, who’s been in a number of classes with Kochayan.

“She’s learning for fun and it makes me want to learn. And she does a great job on my hair, too.”

Before arriving in Fresno, Kochayan styled hair and applied makeup for such films as “Legally Blonde” and “Pearl Harbor.”

Kochayan said she was always interested in sculpting, and when she read about a program for monster makeup, she decided to get involved.

“I remember one time I had to make a hand look like it was in a blender for an independent film I worked on,” she said. “It was probably the most fascinating part of my life. I got to do the type of makeup you see on Star Trek.”

Kochayan moved from her hometown of San Francisco to Los Angeles, where she received formal on-the-job training from Hollywood’s elite hairstylists and makeup artists.

After receiving her education from Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts in 2000, Kochayan got a job at a salon called Frends, while she worked behind the scenes in films.

For “Pearl Harbor,” Kochayan had to create prosthetic pieces for scenes involving blood. “If we had to make a burn, we would mix the latex and make it look real,” she said. “It was fun. I learned so much of what goes into making a film.”

For “Legally Blonde,” Kochayan worked specifically on preparing hair products.

Kochayan also worked in a salon where she worked on models and actors before they had to go to an important event or show. Some of the celebrities she worked with on a regular basis included Tiffani Amber Thiessen, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Pamela Anderson and Marlon Brando.

Kochayan remembers Brando coming into her salon after he had just had surgery on his nose.

“Surgeons had drilled a hole in his nose, so I had to fill it with mortician’s wax so he could go to a show,” she said.

While meeting celebrities on a daily basis and working on films was an exciting time in Kochayan’s life, the demanding hours and constant preparation weren’t worth compromising family life.

“If you want a family, you can’t do it,” Kochayan said. “You are working all hours of the day.”

Kochayan plans to get her degree in December. She will continue doing what she loves — hair and makeup at The Spectrum Salon.

“I am happy working with real people,” she said. “I want to keep them looking contemporary, stylish and confident.”

Editor’s note: Campus news show Fresno State Focus will feature a story on Maral Kochayan today at 6:30 p.m. on channel 96 and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on channel 14.