MC grad begins successful career in the beauty industryDecember 12, 2018

At only 22 years of age, Jackie Spencer already has people clamoring for her services especially for special celebrations such as weddings and quinceañeras.

“I was able to teach myself by watching other beauty gurus such as Nicole Guerriero, Desi Perkins, among many others,” explained Spencer.

Thanks to communications classes she took at Midland College and later at the University of Texas at Arlington, she does her own advertising, mainly via social media.  Her business can be found online, on Instagram at “spencerjackiee” and YouTube under “Jackie Spencer.”

“I knew from an early age that I wanted to be in the beauty industry; however, when I graduated from high school, the idea of majoring in advertising and communications also appealed to me,” explained Spencer.  “Now, I plan to make my career in the beauty industry and use the skills I’ve learned in advertising and business to promote my services and successfully manage my business.”

Spencer is currently a senior at the University of Texas at Arlington majoring in Advertising and Business Administration.  She will graduate in May and then plans to take classes at Artist Makeup Academy (AMA) in Hoboken, NJ.

“I would like to expand my skills and become a professional influencer in the makeup industry,” said Spencer.  “AMA provides extensive hands on and business level training in make-up artistry for fashion, beauty and entertainment. I’m hoping to learn techniques that will enable me to flourish in real world applications so that I can have a sustainable and lucrative career. AMA not only specializes in technical makeup application guidance, but also teaches professional business and networking practices.”

Spencer has freelanced in the past for two large makeup companies—Sephora and Mac Cosmetics. She has also been featured on Time Los Angeles, Morphe Brushes and Elf Cosmetics’ social media channels. When she completes her training at AMA, Spencer plans to return to the Metroplex area since she already has some established clientele, and she said that there are abundant opportunities to grow her business in the area.

“AMA also has a school in Miami, but I chose the Hoboken school because my older lives near Hoboken, and I can stay with her while I’m taking classes,” stated Spencer.

Spencer was born in Alpine, TX and grew up in the small border town of Presidio, TX where her father was a farmer and cattle rancher.

“I enjoyed growing up in a border town where I learned to embrace different cultures,” explained Spencer.

Spencer and her family relocated to Midland when she was in sixth grade. In addition to her older sister Anna Christina, Jackie also has an older brother David who works with her father.

“I love being in the Metroplex, but I miss my family,” said Spencer who also misses her 10-year-old Maltese named Casper.

Spencer graduated from Lee High School in 2014 and attended Midland College from 2014 until May 2017 when she graduated with an associate degree.  While at MC, she was a member of the school newspaper staff and even served as editor of the paper for a year.  She was an honor student and a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.  She maintained a 3.5 GPA her entire time at MC and has continued to maintain a 3.5 while at UT Arlington. 

“I got the background I needed at Midland College to succeed at UT Arlington,” said Spencer. “It also helped financially to attend Midland College first.  I was on the Legacy Scholarship while at Midland College and then received the Legacy Continuance Scholarship to attend UT Arlington.  I am also receiving the Slough, Abell-Hanger and the Phi Theta Kappa scholarship.  All of those scholarships were made available to me because I graduated from Midland College while maintaining good grades.”