TAUNTON — Middleboro resident Tess Brunelle had a strong finish to her senior year at Bristol-Plymouth Regional High School, collecting her diploma, and a gold medal.

Just a few weeks after graduation day, June 20-24, Brunelle traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in esthetics at the National Skills USA Leadership and Skills Conference. A Cosmetology student at B-P, Brunelle was a Skills USA winner at the school, district and state level, and she kept her winning streak intact with a gold medal showing at nationals.   

Competing in a field of 40 students from all around the country, Brunelle first had to complete a written exam, then demonstrate skills and technique through a series of three timed challenges: a facial, daytime/nighttime makeup and fantasy makeup with a Disney theme.

Her fantasy makeup entry was based on Ursula from The Little Mermaid.

Emily Rouleau, who will be a junior in the B-P cosmetology program this fall, served as Brunelle’s model for the competition.

“I was honestly in shock before they announced the winner, because the way that they do it is they do a pre-call and they put up the three states that placed, on the big screen. So before that was coming up, I was sitting there and I remember I saw Massachusetts on the screen for another competition… so you know, we were all cheering for them because, yeah Massachusetts.”

Brunelle says she tried to play it off cool, but the nerves were overwhelming.

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“Like, I really thought I was going to pass out, and then, finally, my competition came up on screen, and I just remember seeing Massachusetts and I just dropped all my bags and I was just focused on getting to the bottom of the stairs, because I was like if I don't focus on walking down these stairs, I will trip and fall…

“And then I get backstage, and by then I sort of end up like blocking everything out, because if I start to think about what's happening, I'll panic. So from there I was like horribly calm. So then we get up onto the stage, and you know the lights are on you and they start announcing third… second. And I remember they announced third and it wasn't me, and they announced second and it wasn't me. 

“And then I was like, ‘Oh my God, that means I'm first.’”

David Wallace, BP’s Skills USA chapter advisor and computer science teacher, was thrilled and pleasantly surprised, but stopped short of shocked.  

“She really did her homework. She was passionate and determined to win the gold,” Wallace said.

“I’m just her advisor, not one of her cosmetology instructors, but from my experience, what I can see, her abilities, her skills and just her artistic talents are off the charts. I’ll just quote one of the judges from the state competition, who said she was so good that Disney was hiring and she should apply now.”

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Brunelle said her cosmetology training served her well in the competition, but to win it she says took skills well beyond the curriculum at B-P. Luckily, she had a crew of industry-experienced instructors at the school and at Gwen Mireille Salon and Spa in Raynham, where she works as an assistant. She will be going full time soon, and taking new clients.

Former B-P teacher Diane Rose pushed Brunelle to get started with Skills USA as a freshman and current B-P cosmetology instructors Anne Marie Demers, Sandra Costa and Kelly Bottini nurtured the star student in recent years.

Leading up to nationals, Brunelle worked with the trio of instructors to brush up on advanced makeup and hairstyling skills.  

At Gwen Marielle Salon, owner Brenda Amaral, who is a member of the B-P Cosmetology Board, was a welcoming mentor providing Brunelle with on-the-job instruction and experience, which proved invaluable during the timed events.

The competition was held at the Georgia World Congress Center, with medal ceremonies at the State Farm Arena. During each challenge the floor was open to the public and spectators.

“Most of the esthetic stuff I ended up having to teach myself, because it's a little bit further out from our normal curriculum at school," Brunelle said. "I had so much help from my teachers, though, oh my goodness, I can't even begin to thank them enough. So many of my teachers were so invested in what I was doing.”

She also spent time online researching past National Skills USA events to get a better idea of what the completion might bring to the table and what judges like.

“My favorite part was the fantasy makeup,” Brunelle said. "That was the complete transformation where I sort of did my spin on Ursula from The Little Mermaid, since this year's theme was Disney for the fantasy makeup.

“That was really interesting because I've never done a full transformation on another person like that. Whenever I do makeup like that, it’s on myself or, let's say, at districts it was on a mannequin. So it was really interesting doing that full transformation.”

Brunelle shared credit for the win with Rouleau, her model and teammate for each phase of competition.  

“She was just beyond laid back,” Brunelle said, “and let me beat up her poor face with all that makeup. She had to sit for a while.” 

Competitors had 45 minutes for the facial, 60 minutes for the daytime/nighttime makeup and 75 minutes for the fantasy makeup.  

Brunelle and Rouleau were accompanied by a sizeable group of supporters, including family and B-P teaching staff. And B-P student Joseph Giuffre, another 2022 grad, also traveled to compete in Information Technology Services at Skill USA Nationals.  

Aside from the competition, it was a fun trip with a lot of snacking at food trucks, some sightseeing and meeting vocational school students from around the county. One of the notable highlights for Brunelle was splashing around the fountain at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.  

“It was honestly out of this world," she said. "I've been doing Skills for four years. I started as a freshman and it's been on and off because of COVID, but nationals was absolutely insane. You get to see all these other kids from all across the nation and it's just truly amazing, seeing all these people with similar passions and even seeing all the other competitions.

“It was truly an amazing experience, like nothing I've ever really experienced.”  

Now that she’s graduated, and Skills USA wrapped, Brunelle is looking forward to working fulltime as a hairstylist and makeup artist. There’s so much to be learned on the job, she said, though further schooling, learning and training is somewhere on the horizon.  

“I probably started wearing makeup in like elementary school and I was lucky that I sort of grew up in a space that was just so open to self expression and that sort of creativity,” she said. “So this is definitely something that I've always wanted to pursue and will continue to pursue.”

Taunton Daily Gazette staff writer Jon Haglof can be reached at jhaglof@tauntongazette.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Taunton Daily Gazette today.