Meet Paragon Rising Star Alisha Storm: Growing Her Skills One Breed at a Time
Meet Paragon Certified Groom Tech Alisha Storm! Based in Webster City, Iowa, Alisha has spent her life surrounded by dogs and animals. With a degree in animal science and years of experience exploring different areas of the animal industry, her passion for learning has continued to grow throughout her career.
A little over five years ago, Alisha welcomed her Border Collie, Koda, into her life. Having primarily grown up with smooth-coated dogs, she dove into learning how to properly care for Koda’s coat. That experience soon grew into a passion for dog sports, involvement with her local kennel club, and teaching classes. Through her kennel club community, Alisha has had the opportunity to learn about a wide variety of breeds, and grooming has given her yet another way to understand and work with them.
Throughout her Paragon coursework, Alisha has shown impressive growth, dedication, and attention to detail. Her mentor, Kaiti Roberson, was especially impressed with her final submissions and the progress she made throughout the program, earning Alisha recognition as a Paragon Rising Star!
Her mentor, Kaiti Roberson, shares:
“Alisha has nailed all her submissions, especially her final two! She has showed amazing improvement throughout the level and her natural foot submission was amazing! She’s truly a rising star!”
Why did you choose dog grooming as a career?
I have always had dogs growing up and have had a passion for animals my whole life. My degree is in animal science and I have bounced around within the industry for several years.
A little over five years ago I got my Border Collie, Koda. Having grown up with smooth-coated dogs most of my life, I dove into learning to care for his coat. When he was about a year old, we attended our first dog sport event. Something neither of us had done before. From there we became heavily involved in different sports and then our local kennel club, where I now teach classes and hold the office of secretary.
My passion for dogs and all the different breeds has only grown in the last five years. Through the kennel club I got to learn about so many new breeds from fellow members, and another way to do that is through grooming!
What did you enjoy most during your coursework?
I think I personally enjoyed seeing all the breeds come into our salon. I learned so much over the course, but I think the most fun part was meeting all the different dogs and their humans and getting to see their personalities!
Where can we see your work?
You can see my work at Pet Supplies Plus in Ames, Iowa!
What are your future goals?
I am continuing my learning by becoming a Certified Pet Groomer with Paragon. I would like to gain a lot of experience over the next few years and eventually maybe get into the grooming side of things for conformation dogs!
Any advice for aspiring groomers?
My advice is that the best way to get better is to practice with intent! The more experience you get, the better you get as long as you’re still trying to learn and improve!
Also, don’t be afraid to try different techniques. Something that works well for someone may not work well for you, and something that works for you might not work for them. As long as you are keeping yourself and the dogs safe and happy, there are many ways to get a good result!