Student Spotlight: Jeremy Hurguy

February 24, 2020 | COLLEGE NEWS

Jeremy Hurguy spends his Saturdays volunteering at Pinellas Hope,
cutting hair for the displaced population.

Jeremy Hurguy is like many of us. He spent his youth making a few wrong choices, some of which pulled him off his track in life. But today, he is going after his dream and is helping others along the way.

Once in corporate management, Hurguy donned a suit and tie, spending long days in an office.

"Life just took a turn," he said. "I let a couple opportunities pass me by."

Instead of following his passion for barbering, he made the admiral decision to be the primary breadwinner and put his wife through school -- twice.  But now that his family is taken care of, Hurguy can go back to school, and he's taking full advantage of the opportunity.

He chose Pinellas Technical College (PTC) to become a master barber. PTC's Barbering program offers small class sizes in the evening, but it was the barbering instructor, Charles Harris, that propelled Hurguy to sign on the dotted line.

"He has a lot of knowledge and experience," said Hurguy.

With 40 years in the business and shops of his own, Harris has the tools necessary to not only instruct up-and-coming barbers but to help place them in lucrative environments after they've earned a certificate.

"He's more than willing to share his knowledge with you, especially if you're hungry for it."

Hurguy is halfway through his training, but he's been cutting hair since he was 12. He felt pretty confident going into the program at PTC, but his eyes have been opened to how much he didn't know.

"I thought I knew something because I knew how to fade hair a little bit," he said, "but then the first thing we do is this super long hair mannequin, and I'm just lost. That deflated me real quick."

With some instruction under his belt, Hurguy takes his shears over to Pinellas Hope, a Catholic charity that works with the interfaith community, local government, and businesses to provide temporary shelter to those in need.

Hurguy spends his Saturdays sprucing up the homeless to brighten their outlook on life.

"It started as an opportunity I heard about," said Hurguy. He'd been involved in other outreach ministries in the area and had always wanted to check it out.

"It's just amazing when you are dealing with people in that scenario; it's all heartfelt," he said.

Hurguy respects that even though they are going through rough times, the people that frequent Pinellas Hope lack pretention and always say what they mean.

"Everyone is 100 percent real because they got no reason not to be, and that can be beautiful."

Hurguy likes that the center offers three meals a day, along with clothes and the like. He remembers the kindness others offered him when he was going through a rough time, advice, and a helping hand that enabled him to dig himself out of a hole. So now he makes giving back to those in need a top priority.

He's always looking to recruit classmates to join him at Pinellas Hope. Once the word got out about his skills, his haircutting list became impossible to finish in one day.

"I'm trying to look for people who will be consistent and treat these people here with the respect that they deserve," he said, admitting he's had some sleepless nights after having to turn away 10-15 people a week because of time constraints.

"It's worth it, you get so much more than you give," said Hurguy, admitting that it sounds a bit cliché. "But when you do it on a consistent basis, you see that you start feeding on it and enjoy it."

Hurguy said it helps him stay humble and focused because "it's easy to get caught up in life."

He believes the more you stay on track to help others, the better you will feel about your life, and the more it will inspire you to make positive changes.

If you'd like to be featured in a student spotlight, please call Lyn Johnson in the Office of Workforce Innovation at 727-893-2500 ext. 2655.