Latino Viral Barber VicBlends Builds California’s First Licensed Prison Barber School
When Victor Fontanez, better known online as VicBlends, first walked into Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California, he had no idea he would return four years later to cut the ribbon on the first licensed barber school in a California state prison.
He went in at the invitation of longtime mentor and prison reform advocate Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition. The visit changed him. “I had no idea that this was something I wanted to do,” Fontanez said. “But, I have empathy for others. And I don’t question God’s plan. I don’t question the places that he places me in.”
What he found inside were men eager to change, fighting for a second chance. Budnick told him no prison in California had ever opened an in-prison barber school and promised to support him if he wanted to make it happen. “We made a promise that day to put our best foot forward and knock this out,” Fontanez recalled. “Here we are four years later, cutting the ribbon.”
The goal of VicBlends Academy goes beyond a skillset
The VicBlends Academy launched on August 6 with dozens of incarcerated students already enrolled, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The school offers daily classes and will deliver over 100 haircuts each week. The program is designed to ensure students leave with a state barber license in hand, making them employable upon release.
For Fontanez, this is only the beginning. “It’s just a start,” he said. “For some, it could lead to a very long career. For others, it’s a way to impact people, to be able to help others. So, I’m glad we’re just able to plant a small seed here at Valley State Prison.”
Sponsors have backed the effort, including BabylissPRO, which donated student clipper kits, and Takara Belmont, which provided barber chairs. Buy Rite supplied shop equipment, and Tomb45 contributed products and tools.
Education as a path to rehabilitation
Fontanez believes the success of the program depends on more than technical training. “Education is everything,” he said. “The more that you learn, the more that you will earn.” He sees opportunity as the foundation of real change, whether it comes from a trade, a degree, or simply the confidence to reenter the world as an empowered person.
He framed it as a full-circle process. “It’s not just with your hands, but it’s with your mind and your soul,” he explained. “It’s about full rehabilitation.”
This perspective aligns with Budnick’s work at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, where he has seen “how access to real career pathways, not just jobs, can completely change the trajectory of someone’s life after prison.”
Inside the first day of the VicBlends Academy
The launch event included remarks from Valley State Prison Warden O’Brian Bailey and CDCR Executive Directors Amy Cassias and Gena Jones. Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria’s office attended, as did players and coaches from the Fresno Fuego soccer team.
A tour of the space was followed by a student haircut competition judged by Fontanez. The winner’s confidence reflected what the program aims to inspire.
For Fontanez, one of the most powerful moments came from the space itself. The shop features murals by Daniel Garcia, an incarcerated artist. For someone who often works alongside creatives, the reveal was a reminder that talent thrives even in confinement.
VicBlends measures success differently now
Fontanez admitted he never imagined this would be part of his story. “I just never thought we’d be here, you know. This was never in my plans. I couldn’t write a story this beautiful. Only God can.”
Working alongside men who once watched his videos from behind bars has given the project personal weight. “I just hope that when these students take the next step, they never come back,” he said. “I hope they get out better than when they came in. And I hope this is something they can rely on and they can go serve the community with it.”
At the end of each day, Fontanez checks his own compass. “When I look in the mirror at night, I just hope I’m happy with the person I see,” he said. “God is my ultimate North Star and helps me understand if I’m heading in the right direction. If I feel that I’m following his plan for me, then that’s all the validation or measure of success I need.”
