By William Anderson–
In 1975, Becky Hambelton watched a bus full of Vietnamese migrants come to a stop outside her newly established beauty school in Citrus Heights. Unknown to her, she was taking her first step into history, giving 20 Vietnamese women an opportunity for success that would later become a national movement.
Hambelton had founded Citrus Heights Beauty College with her husband, Charles Hambelton, in 1969. The school has been family-run since its beginning. Hambelton felt that she was doing more than simply teaching students how to cut hair—she was teaching them how to manage life and feel important. She planned to continue this vision as she watched the bus pull in.
That same year in 1975, the city of Saigon, South Vietnam, fell to the North. A large number of Vietnamese refugees journeyed to the United States, seeking help in various camps across the United States. One such camp was Weimar Hope Village in Placer County, California. Moved by the plight of the refugees, Actress Tippi Hedren volunteered in humanitarian efforts at the camp
Hedren recalled the dark times in a 2005 interview, saying, “It was a horrible time for all of them… Many of them lost their homes, they lost their families, they lost their jobs, they lost everything.” Hedren was known for starring in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”
While there, Hedren noticed that the Vietnamese women were particularly interested in her manicured nails.
Before joining forces with Hambelton, Hedren had the idea to teach the migrants how to do manicures as a means of employment and economic empowerment. She flew in her personal manicurist from Hollywood to train the women.
Hedren then partnered with the Hambeltons to teach the women professionally at Citrus Heights Beauty College. The women then embarked on 350 hours of manicuring curriculum. At the time, the school was primarily focused on hair styling, but Hambelton embraced the new opportunity and said she was impressed with the women’s work ethic.
“That’s why they did so well,” Hambelton said in a local news article chronicling the Vietnamese American manicurist movement, “Not because of me, but because of the work ethics they had.”
Originally from Arkansas, Hambelton told The Sentinel in a 2022 interview that she grew up in a family of 15 children. After moving to Chico, she eventually settled in Citrus Heights, graduated from San Juan High School, and later married.
Hambelton recalls feeling very privileged to provide beauty education services, and tells her students, “You can’t do anything about your past, but you can do something about your future. You can educate yourself, you can work, you can make these decisions for yourself.”
Twenty Vietnamese women graduated in the first course, launching what would become a nationwide movement. This news spread quickly through refugee camps, drawing waves of Vietnamese women to the school. Nail salons had flexible hours and low startup costs, making them ideal for refugees. The economic opportunity helped many women get a foothold in the new country. Hambelton became the front-runner of the nail beauty trend alongside Hedren. By the mid-2000s, eighty percent of licensed manicurists in California were Vietnamese American.
Second-generation Vietnamese American Lien Glanker hangs a picture of the original beauty college manicuring graduating class in her salon to honor the influence those first women had on the industry. Her mother, a Vietnam War refugee, became a manicurist after hearing about those women in a refugee camp.
Citrus Heights Beauty College is still open today and averages 80 to 100 students, according to the company’s website. The college offers courses in cosmetology, esthetics and manicuring. Student schedules are flexible, Hambelton said, and classes start later in the day to accommodate students who have children of their own.
The school temporarily closed in 2020 due to COVID-19 regulations but continued to pay all its employees, according to Hambelton, who also said, having built their own building provided added flexibility to make it through the pandemic shutdowns. After reopening in 2021, the beauty college won the “Best of Citrus Heights” award.
The college is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 8:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., allowing students the opportunity to provide services such as hair styling, make up, manicures and more.
Hambelton’s vision for teaching practical and life skills is reflected in the school’s mission statement:
“The mission of Citrus Heights Beauty College is to provide a professional and educational environment that is centered on quality academic and practical learning. We wish to inspire our students to reach their full potential with personal development, fiscal responsibility and soft skills needed in our industry.”
Citrus Heights Beauty College is located at 7518 Baird Way.
