As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, community leaders across Baton Rouge are putting action behind the holiday’s core mission: service, opportunity, and progress. Metro Councilman Darryl Hurst is leading one of those efforts with a hands-on workforce development program that runs January 17–19 and targets high school students interested in nontraditional career paths.
Hurst frames public safety as more than law enforcement. He ties it directly to education, workforce development, and access to real economic opportunity. When young people see viable paths to success, communities grow stronger over time.
This year’s program focuses on the rapidly expanding beauty and aesthetics industry, specifically eyelash application. The training introduces students to a regulated trade while sparking interest in a field that offers significant earning potential. Skilled lash technicians can earn hundreds of dollars per application, and many build sustainable careers within months—not years—of training.
The initiative follows the success of previous programs, including a hair-braiding workshop and a fully sponsored DJ camp. In the DJ program alone, four students turned their training into paid work, booking events and launching early careers. Hurst sees those outcomes as proof that exposure matters. When young people recognize opportunity, they begin to imagine a future that feels attainable.
The eyelash training partners with Bella Lachey Aesthetics, led by Lacey Roberson, alongside sponsors including Sustainable Designs, Block Companies, CST Developers, Republic Services, and Nickel Lobbying Group. Together, they provide instruction, mannequins, supplies, meals, and take-home kits so students can continue practicing after the program ends.
Participation is limited to 15 students to ensure quality instruction. Interested students can register through a QR code posted on Hurst’s social media pages, with participants selected at random.
Hurst emphasizes that the goal is not instant transformation but foundation-building. When communities invest early in youth, they reduce the need for intervention later. By opening doors to entrepreneurship and skilled trades, programs like this help change long-term outcomes—one student at a time.