Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristi Beaty.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kristi. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 1976, at the age of 11, I moved to Duncanville, Texas after living in several different places for the first 11 years of my life. Little did I know that Duncanville would become my life! I started dancing when I was 4 years old and I always wanted to be a teacher. Lucky for me, my two worlds eventually merged. In high school, I was a member of the Duncanville High Hats. My director my Senior year was Cindy English. She had a huge influence on my life and I told her I wanted to come back and do what she does one day!
I attended Southwest Texas State University (Now Texas State University in San Marcos) where I was a member of The Strutters Precision Dance/Drill Team. I majored in Elementary Education and came back to Duncanville ISD and taught 3rd grade for 3 years. At that time, the position came open to become The High Hat Director. I applied for the job, found out I had to go back to school to get my Dance Certification at Texas Woman’s University but was still hired! Trust me, I told the principal, Lynn Dobbins there was NO ONE better for the job!
Fast forward 30 YEARS later and here I am, still directing The Duncanville High Hats and living the dream! I have been blessed with the most amazing experiences and people in my life. They say “Choose a job that you love and you never have to work a day in your life.” Although I do work hard, it is a joy more than a job. I also work part-time for the American Dance/Drill Team and recently I became a Stylist with Colorstreet Nail Strips. If you are not familiar with Colorstreet you are missing out. It is a fun part-time job as well, so I definitely stay busy!!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have definitely been some struggles along the way. I mean, 30 years, that is a long time to not have a single struggle! The hardest times in my career have been the loss of two of my High Hats. One in 1995-she was killed in a car accident after a Friday night football game. The other was murdered in a quadruple murder in Southwest Dallas in 2013. Those experiences were so difficult because while you are grieving yourself, you also have to help your team-your babies try to understand and deal with death. Somehow, we found the strength together to move forward. But we never forget.
The other struggle does not compare to the ones mentioned above but it has still had an effect on me. After 29 years of basically doing the same thing year after year this year I was given new challenges. I could have easily quit or retired, but I wanted to take on the challenge and help my team transition into new traditions. The struggle is real, trust me, but it has allowed to grow and for my team to grow.
With the new challenge that told to me, it allowed a little more flexibility in my schedule. So I started became a Stylist with Colorstreet. The only struggles I have with that job is time management and being able to have enough time to spread the word about a little product that can literally change a woman’s life!
We’d love to hear more about your work.
The Duncanville High Hats are the pride of Duncanville! We specialize in dance performances and school spirit! I am most proud of the young ladies on my team- past and present! I love to hear about my former students that have gone through my program and have gone on to amazing careers. I mean, doctors, nurses, dentists, lawyers, teachers, wives, police officers, business owners. The list goes on and on and on. I love to see my current students grow into not just wonderful dancers but incredible young women. You see, I don’t just teach dance, I teach life skills, teamwork, accountability, pride, love.
As far as Colorstreet Nail Strips-they are 100% real fingernail polish with an adhesive side that is applied to your nail and goes on dry! You can easily put on a set of nails in 15 minutes for a fraction of the cost of the nail salon! When I first tried them, I fell in love! And I felt good about myself. I wanted to share and sell! My theory is that when you have pretty nails you feel good about yourself when you feel good about YOURSELF, you make others feel good about themselves! So we are changing the world one set of nails at a time!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
For as consistent as my life has been for the last 29 years, change is inevitable. I have learned that for sure! I am actually past my retirement but I continue to teach because I feel I have more work to do I have more lives to touch. Even though there are challenges the joys still outweigh the struggles. When the time comes that I make that HUGE decision to retire, I want to continue to be active and involved in the dance/drill team world, the school, the community and I hope I have more time to spend on my Colorstreet Business!
Pricing:
- Colorstreet Nail Strips-Range from $11-$14
- Buy 3/Get 1 Free-on line (solids, glitters, designs)
- Buy 1/Get 1 Free-on-line French Manicure
Contact Info:
- Website: www.duncanvilleisd.org www.colorstreet.com/kristibeaty
- Phone: 972-708-3762 214-912-9242
- Email: kbeaty@duncanvilleisd.org colorstreetkristibeaty@gmail.com
- Instagram: dhshighhats colorstreetkristibeaty
- Facebook: You’ve Got Nails by KB! https://www.facebook.com/groups/559087914572770/?ref=group_header
- Twitter: @dvillehighhats @kristicbeaty
High Hat and the Capital. (Cynthia Rangel Photo)
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