A Tribute to Mrs. Janet V. Prince-Soto: Giving You Your Flowers Now!

I recently became aware that Fashion Link VI, in conjunction with Kisura's Fashion will present their first annual Fashion Exposé on St. Croix,  U.S. Virgin Islands August 16^th - 18^th, 2013. From what I can tell, it promises to be a grand event.  As listed on their website, “Kisura's Fashion [is] an on-line Boutique with fashionable clothing for all occasion[s].” They feature an array of sizes for both women and men.  They also carry souvenir t-shirts featuring prints of historical and scenic “sites of the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as Kisura's Fashion Logo T-Shirt.” You can learn more about the upcoming exposé by visiting http://myvideowebshow.com/show/kisuras-fashion.

As part of the event they will honor various local entrepreneurs for their years of service to the community in their souvenir booklet. One of the honorees being highlighted for her long years of service to the territory in the field of Cosmetology is Mrs. Janet V. Prince-Soto. I was honored when asked to submit a small tribute on her behalf for the booklet. Due to space constraints, I was limited as to what I could submit for print. As such I decided to write an expanded version here.

I first met Mrs. Soto back in 1981 when I was a sophomore at St. Croix Central High School.  Actually, I really had no interest in cosmetology at the time, but the general classes I needed were all filled so I had to choose something else. Glancing over my choices on the vocational track, Cosmetology stood out for me because it didn't look that hard and I figured it would be an easy pass - yeah, right! Little did I know at the time that it was all divinely orchestrated for me to be exposed to Mrs. Soto.   At first she struck me as a “no-nonsense” type of teacher and time would prove that my first instinct of her was correct. She challenged her students to do their very best and “good” was not good enough. She required excellence. Her expectations of us were more than anyone had ever expected of me and my plan of sitting in the back of the classroom in an effort to avoid being called upon proved to be ineffective as she called on everyone randomly regardless of where you were sitting. 
As a student in Mrs. Soto’s class it was not a question of “if” she will call on you, but rather “when” she will call on you. Her teaching style was “hands-on” and everyone was expected to demonstrate what they learned without exceptions. She would walk around the classroom looking at your work, pointing out mistakes and offering accolades when you got it right. I had never met anyone like her before or since. While she exhibited a tough exterior and ran her classroom like a drill sergeant – so much for skipping over ROTC, lol –  the individual attention she showed each of her students was unmatched by any I had seen before. Truth is when I encountered Mrs. Soto I was a frail, attention-deprived, pregnant teen who didn't know how much I didn't know about a lot of things; including the child I was carrying. However, under her guidance I learned so much and not just about the practical and theory of cosmetology (including the skills and mechanisms needed to run a successful business), but also about etiquette and the fundamentals of life. Many of which was not taught anywhere else, not even during four years of college, but all of which would impact my life inside and outside of the classroom.  She made me push myself harder and further than I ever did before and even today I still expect more of myself than anyone else and I also hold myself at a higher standard than anyone else. I strive for perfection.

During the first few weeks of class I did my best to conceal my pregnancy, but I remember when I became aware that she knew that I was pregnant. One day after class she kept me behind after she had dismissed the other students and we had a serious one-on-one conversation which was very thought provoking. Her concerns were for my safety and her fear that I could slip and fall in her class. She forced me to ask myself some tough questions which would eventually shape my decision to remain in school. Not sure if it was her intent or not, but her suggestion that I should consider going to night classes backfired even though it sent me straight to the counselor’s office seeking a transfer after our meeting. Mr. Mack, my counselor at the time, raised even more questions which caused me to further question my motives for wanting a transfer. The answers ultimately ended with my decision to stay enrolled in day classes. A decision I have never regretted. Not only did I keep my grades up and graduated on time, but it would be 11 years before I would have another child. 

During the three years I was enrolled in Mrs. Soto’s class, I sought her out for advice and guidance about a lot of things not related to her class.   Amazingly, she never sent me away because she was too busy to listen. Yes, Mrs. Soto believed in teaching the “whole” student and her methods were not confined to traditional ways. As such, much of our lessons went far beyond the typical classroom setting. She challenged us to do better and she taught us life lessons that stayed with us long after we graduated from high school. I say “we” because many of her students share my view of her and still stay in close contact with her. That is in and of itself a testament of the high regard we hold for her and the things she has instilled in us.

I have lots of fond memories of Mrs. Soto from over the years. Some go as far back as my early encounters with her at school when the other girls and I would all run to help her unload the contents of her car and carry them into the classroom. Mostly because we knew she had goodies she would share with us, i.e., homemade bread, maubi, etc. And then there was our senior class trip to Puerto Rico - it was my second time traveling in a group (the first time was our trip to St. Thomas for the cosmetology competition).  Oh the fun we had visiting stores, swimming at the beach, and exploring El Yunque (local rain forest). We had a great time but Mrs. Soto never missed an opportunity for a “teachable” moment.  She taught us how to budget our money, how not to make needless purchases, and more importantly why it was imperative that we stick together as we ventured out in unfamiliar territory. But by far my favorite memories by are of her visiting me in Atlanta. I have memories of us attending Bronner Brothers hair show, attending Sunday service, walking the mall, and having countless conversations just catching up on each other’s lives. My ex-husband commented to me after meeting her for the first time that he could see where I got a lot of things I did from. She is who I call when life gets overwhelming or when my own mom gives me grief. 

I tell people all the time that I am the woman I am today in part because of my exposure to Mrs. Soto. I see so much of her in me, i.e., completing and submitting registration cards for products purchased (TVs, printers, computers, cameras, blender, etc); documenting date of purchase, place of purchase, serial number, and model number on the product instruction booklet; creating a paper trail when calling companies regarding a dispute (name of who I spoke to, date I called, and final outcome of the conversation); making notations of important things on post-it notes (appointments, task reminders); paper clipping notes to things (travel itinerary, bills); organizing things for easy access; composing “to do“ lists; recycling things to get maximum usage; locating typos and grammar mistakes in written materials, etc.

I sometimes shudder to think what my life would have been like had I not been exposed to her. Sure I may have still grown up to be a decent person who made some good choices along the way but I can only attribute my impeccable ability for making “good decisions” in part to the lessons I learned from her. There are very little decisions I have made over the years that I regret. That is because Mrs. Soto taught me about consequences, accountability, and taking responsibility for the choices I make. At a time when most teachers were only interested in passing on “book sense”, Mrs. Soto went far beyond that to provoke our God-given “common sense”.  

This busy mother of two beautiful daughters (Valencia and Olympia), who gave her four handsome grandsons (Germaine, Curt, Kevin, & Darin), who in turn made her a great-grandmother, lets no moss grow beneath her feet. Choose any given day of the year and you will find her busy doing something, i.e., traveling to some exotic or not so exotic location, chairing or attending a meeting, engaged in some small or major project, attending some charity event for her local church, visiting one of her daughters, visiting one of her grandsons,  visiting some other family member, picking fruits in her garden, fiddling with her toys (laptop, notebook, printer, tablet, Iphone, etc), playing games on Facebook, or dictating to the workmen what she needs done on her property. Despite her seemingly busy schedule she always make time to have fun. Oh, and she is no stranger to the kitchen either. By all accounts she is considered an excellent cook. In fact one of her jokes to me is how her grandsons fusses over whose house she will stay at first when she visits the mainland because they know she will no doubt whip something up in the kitchen during her stay, i.e., red peas soup, salt fish and johnny cakes, peas and rice, etc. Personally I prefer when she stays with her grandson Germaine in Atlanta as he is the closest to me so I can always run over and grab a plate. Come to think of it, before Germaine moved to Atlanta from Savannah, my place was her hot spot – lol.

Janet V. Prince-Soto is a God-fearing, family oriented woman who prays everyday for the welfare of those she loves. She is by far an awesome, phenomenal woman whom I love and revere. Even at her age she is still vibrant and mentally sharp. Her memory is very impressive as she seems to remember the names of every student who ever came through her classroom door.  She not only remembers their name but can tell you something specific about each one of them. I get dizzy trying to keep up with her. She never ceases to amaze me with her wealth of knowledge. She is always on a quest to learn new things and is not afraid to venture into uncharted waters. I can always expect the unexpected where she is concern.  I am so very proud and honored to call her my teacher, my friend, and at times, my mother. Congratulations Ma for your many years of dedicated service to the cosmetology world and for the many, many, young women – myself included – whose lives are forever changed because of our exposure to you. Our friendship spans over 30 years, but you are and will forever be an intricate part of my family. May God continue to bless you with good health and long life.

Love always, Yáminah (Class of ’84)

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