By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
Once considered an at-risk student, Remy Stull found direction through a special high school program and is now a successful barber who seeks to give back to others.
Stull found inspiration through Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K) at Hays High School.
JAG-K is a nonprofit program that partners with schools to offer an elective course to academically struggling students. The program offers support to help students transition to post-secondary education, military service or the workforce.
Stull was born in Hays in 2004 and is now a young barber at Fade Factory, 129 East 8th St., following a childhood of family instability and abuse.
"Growing up, my parents were both struggling with addiction," Stull said. "It was something that impacted my life, and at this point, in the best way possible."
Stull was permanently placed with his grandparents at about age 3. He said anger was a major challenge in his early years, so he turned to sports as an outlet.
Stull said he participated in almost every sport offered in Hays, including football, baseball, track and wrestling. By his freshman year of high school, he said therapy became a turning point that helped him better understand his emotions.
He said this is where it shaped his ability to speak and connect with others.
"Growing up, I saw a lot of what not to do rather than what to do," he said. "Once you get a gift, you can use it for good or bad. You can speak life into somebody, or you can tear somebody apart with your words, and for a while, that's what I did. It wasn't something that brought me peace."
During his sophomore year, Bryan Zollinger, a coach, teacher and JAG-K career specialist at Hays High School, recruited Stull into the program. Stull said he was hesitant at first because of the stigma surrounding JAG-K, but decided to join after learning it was student-led.
"Zollinger also said, 'Oh yeah, and you don't have to do any homework.' That's what I needed to hear," Stull said.
Stull said JAG-K gave him opportunities for leadership and career exploration, including managing the program’s social media and competing in events that led him into public speaking.
He also credited JAG-K with providing real-world experience in a barbershop setting. Through the program, students help decide which guest speakers they want to hear from.
When given the choice, Stull chose Leo Vazquez, owner of Fade Factory. That decision would ultimately lead to a greater relationship, especially when Stull later became a barber himself.
"It's such a full-circle moment because I used to go to Leo when I was just a little kid for haircuts, when he was working at Park Avenue Salon," he said.
Stull said the first haircut he gave, which later launched his career, started as a joke with a friend.
"We ended up going to Walmart and bought $20 clippers, and I ended up cutting his hair. It didn't turn out half bad," Stull said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, barbershops and salons were not cutting hair. Stull saw an opportunity and set up his own shop in his grandparents’ garage.
"I had people from little kids all the way up to age 60. I had grown adults coming in," Stull said. "My grandparents would walk out and see some of these people that were coming to me and ask, 'How are you even getting these people in here?"
Stull said his barbershop grew rapidly through word of mouth and social media marketing. As demand surged, with as many as 30 clients on weekends, he raised prices to help slow the pace.
During this period, Stull was still in school and attending sports practices. However, he sustained multiple injuries, followed by the difficult decision of choosing between college football scholarships and paying for barber school.
Stull attended a Paul Mitchell-affiliated barber school in Wichita before returning to cut hair at Fade Factory under Vazquez, beginning around July 2023 after graduating.
Today, Stull averages about 35 to 40 haircuts per week, opting to cut fewer clients at a higher price point.
"I don't want to be standing there all day long doing haircuts," he said. "It's given me the opportunity to have more freedom, whether that's going to teach classes or engulfing myself in something else."
Stull emphasizes the relationship-building side of barbering, citing the networking, conversations and doors that open through his clients.
"It's given me opportunities in every facet of life. If I need somebody for something, I can call someone for that because I know a guy," he said.
Stull said he has traveled across the U.S. for barber expos and events, where he has met high-level figures in the industry, including VicBlends, an entrepreneur and motivational speaker.
In addition to barbering, Stull earns income through sponsorships and brand deals tied to his social media presence on TikTok, where he has over 118,000 followers, Instagram and YouTube.
Stull said day trading has become his newest focus. He noted a steep learning curve but said he recently took a payout and hopes trading will become his primary source of income in the future.
"I want to get to a point where I'm cutting hair for fun and not for funds," he said. "I genuinely believe in the next five to 10 years, I will be standing on a stage in front of 1,000 people, being able to speak to them and give back."
Stull has been teaching barbering classes and delivering business talks, often through JAG-K programs in schools across Kansas, such as Hays High and Russell High School.
He added that students often reach out afterward to thank him for his speeches.
"A lot of these kids do come from environments where they might not have the advantages I now have. ... That's something that I strive for, being able to help these kids understand that they have influence and what they're going through now does not define who they are," Stull said.
A quote Stull often leaves students with is "Success's only stipulation is for you to make a choice. Nobody's gonna make that choice but you."
Stull credited his grandparents, Zollinger, Vazquez, his girlfriend and many others with helping shape his life.
Hays High has offered the JAG-K program for about a decade. The program was introduced to the Hays Middle School for the first time this year.
SEE RELATED STORY: JAG-K program expands to Hays Middle School
