From Student Barber to Community Contributor

ODENTON, MD — A student who once joined a school grooming project to develop his barbering skills is now using them professionally while helping make grooming services more accessible to others.

Oluwajomiloju “Jomi” Ogunranti is returning to Arundel High School for his senior year with another important experience behind him: a summer connection at Kendrick’s Barbershop in Odenton arranged through Rob’s Barbershop Community Foundation’s Hair Pair Project.

Jomi’s path began through the Arundel Grooming Project, where he trained and provided haircuts inside the barber and beauty salon installed by Rob’s Barbershop Community Foundation (RBCF) at Arundel High School.

His development has been substantial. Through the school project, Jomi progressed from learning barbering to helping operate the salon and serving other students. He ultimately provided 56 haircuts to 14 students and 27 grooming lessons to 21 students, and students who received his instruction showed an average 27% increase in grooming knowledge. (Patch)

Then came a major milestone.

In January 2026, at just 16, Jomi passed the Maryland State Board examination and became a licensed barber. His accomplishment also made him the second Arundel High School student involved in the project to earn his barber license. (LinkedIn)

Connecting the Next Opportunity

As the 2025–2026 school year ended, RBCF wanted Jomi’s development to continue beyond the school salon.

Through the Hair Pair Project, RBCF matched Jomi’s grooming-professional profile with Kendrick’s Barbershop in Odenton, Maryland.

At Kendrick’s, his responsibilities included answering phones, checking out customers, general cleaning, and providing grooming services to selected customers facing barriers to regular grooming care.

Those duties gave the young barber exposure to something equally important to his long-term development: the day-to-day operation of a professional barbershop.

This was not Jomi’s first exposure to Kendrick’s. In summer 2025, while still developing his skills, he was already gaining experience at the Odenton shop. WBAL reported at the time that the 16-year-old was setting up his station, greeting clients, and learning what it takes to work as a barber. (WBAL TV)

A year later, the relationship looks different.

Jomi returned not simply as a student interested in barbering, but as a licensed barber with experience serving others.

From Receiving an Opportunity to Becoming the Opportunity.

Jomi’s progression shows what RBCF hopes can happen when youth development doesn't end with training.

The progression has been:

Learn the skill → Practice the skill → Earn the license → Gain workplace experience → Serve others → Build professional connections.

Hair Pair now provides a way to continue that progression.

Jomi has a grooming-professional profile on the platform, while Kendrick’s Barbershop participates on the agency side because it supports projects that make grooming services and barber training more accessible.

That allows Hair Pair to function as more than a matching system. In Jomi’s case, it provided a continuous bridge between what he accomplished as a student and the professional and community opportunities that can come next.

Jomi is now returning to Arundel High School for his senior year, having already become a licensed barber, served students through his school salon, worked inside a professional barbershop, and used his skills to help individuals facing grooming barriers.

The summer connection at Kendrick’s has ended.

The connections for Jomi have not.

Rob’s Barbershop Community Foundation looks forward to using Hair Pair to connect this young professional with additional schools, agencies and community partners—giving Jomi opportunities to continue developing his career while using the profession he learned to create opportunities for others. (Patch)