The Beauty Changes Lives Foundation and Wella's Hairdressers at Heart
"We are proud to uphold Wella’s mission and Vidal Sassoon’s commitment to education by offering these talented stylists the opportunity to grow their skills and turn their career aspirations into reality," added Sal Mauceri, Senior VP North American Coty Professional Beauty and Global OPI.
SAN DIEGO (PRWEB) June 01, 2018
As commencement seasons celebrates the start of new paths and possibilities, Wella’s Hairdressers at Heart and the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation are honored to announce the Class of 2018 Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education “Advanced” Scholarship recipients. Honoring the late Vidal Sassoon’s legacy of elevating hair as an art form and embracing a student for life mindset, the scholarship awards each recipient a five-day learning experience at a Vidal Sassoon Academy in North America.
The Spring 2018 Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education “Advanced” Scholarship winners are:
Kiernan Brennan, Saratoga Springs, New York
Kiernan started her beauty education while still in high school, participating in her school’s career development program. Although she struggled with anorexia and traumatic events in high school, her cosmetology instructor encouraged Kiernan that she had a talent she needed to develop. Today, she is a hairstylist at Pinup Jordan’s Mermaid Lounge, where she specializes in vivid hair, helping clients find their dream hues. In her application video, Kiernan shares an inspiring quote from Vidal Sassoon: “Hairdressers are a wonderful breed. You work one on one with another human being and the object is to make them feel so much better and look at themselves with a twinkle in their eye.”
Shaquanda Carter, Philadelphia, Penn.
“When you find your passion, you find your purpose,” says Shaquanda, who says that a new haircut or change in hair color can be a transformative moment. “When a woman gets a new haircut, it’s revolutionary and when she changes her hair color, it’s an act that is symbolic of something important to her,” says Shaquanda. While she views beauty as a source of freedom, creativity and owning one’s truest self, she says beauty is mostly transformative. Shaquanda believes she was literally born to style hair. “The late, great Vidal Sassoon and I share a birthday so I know I was born to be a hairdresser,” she says in her application video.
Alfonzo Chavez, West Hollywood, Calif.
Although Alfonzo started his journey as a hairstylist later in life, he grew up watching his mom transform clients in the beauty salon and backstage at fashion events. After deciding to earn his cosmetology license, Alfonzo moved to Los Angeles where he says, “everything is possible.” Wanting to live up to his potential as a hairstylist and help inspire others to see life’s possibilities, Alfonzo became sober more than 16 months ago. “A career in beauty made me see what’s possible and what you can achieve once you decide to make some important changes in your life,” he says.
Loriz Godines, San Francisco, Calif.
Twenty-five years in the industry has not dimmed Loriz’s passion for beauty. “If I ever start to feel low, I know it’s time to get some more training,” she says. In addition to helping her find a channel for her art, Loriz says the beauty industry connected her to a family of artists who share her desire to not conform. “When I started in this career, I knew I’d found my people and my passion,” she recalls in her application video. But what she loves most about the industry is that her work never feels like a job. In fact, Loriz says her job keeps her young. “I want to pass the torch on and help other young artists find their own place in this amazing business,” she says.
Martin Huerta, Baytown, Texas
A former banker, Martin entered the beauty industry five years ago. “I always wanted to be as a hairstylist because I love how a great haircut can give someone confidence and change their outlook on life,” he said. As a hairstylist at Hair Designers of Houston, Marin works behind the chair but also takes his craft to a new level, cutting, coloring and installing custom hair pieces created for people afflicted by hair loss. Eventually, he’d like to integrate his passion for entrepreneurship into a branded salon.
April Markley, Denver, Colo.
Taking a daydream seriously put April on the path to a rewarding career that blends her passion for craft with her desire to help others feel better. “Hairstyling was just a favorite daydream in college, but at some point, I knew it was a dream I needed to pursue and hair has now become my medium and my art,” she says. Ten years into the hairstyling journey, April says there is always something new to learn. “The details are what really make a hairstylist’s signature, although those details are always rooted in basic techniques defined and shared by Vidal Sassoon,” she notes in her application video.
Shaneria Mosley, Grand Prairie, Texas
Shaneria believes that hairstylists wear many roles, including educators and counselors. “Every time a client sits in my chair, I have the opportunity not just to help them look and feel good, but to educate them on how to use products and how to care for their hair,” she says. As they listen, encourage and inspire, Shaneria says hairstylists provide a different type of beauty therapy. “All hairdressers are counselors,” she says. “While styling and sculpting hair are my passion, my purpose is also to listen when a client needs to talk and to inspire and reach out with kindness.”
Nichole Peck, Newton, Kan.
“My career started out a little different than most,” says Nichole in her application video. Nichole’s journey as a hairstylist began when she was a photography student. She realized the best way to create the looks she saw in magazines was to go to cosmetology school. Her cosmetology license helps her create art behind the chair and behind the camera. As an educator, she inspires a new generation of photographers. “I get to work with students full-circle as they go from prepping the models to shooting the photographs and assembling portfolios,” she says. “So beauty is my passion and my career is my purpose.”
Elle Schimberg, Austin, Texas
As a young girl, Elle’s hairdresser helped more than her hair. “In the salon, there was such a positive vibe and I saw everyone laughing and smiling,” she recalls. Three years into her professional journey, Elle received some important advice: Embrace your fear. These words helped her discover her passion for competitions and editorial work and she was named a semi-finalist in the Sebastian “What’s Next?” competition. Editorial work has heightened Elle’s confidence. “Beauty radiates energy and creativity flows from it,” says Elle in her application video.
Karen Varela, Spring Valley, Calif.
Having a lifelong passion for design, Karen says, design is artistic and therapeutic. “Practicing design is a way to make the soul grow,” she says. Karen was inspired by Vidal Sassoon’s integration of architecture principles into hair design. She incorporates his design philosophy into her work as a hairstylist. Her artwork also speaks to her soul as she draws on color, shape and dimension. “To practice design is a way to make the soul grow,” says Karen. “Beauty is a way to create something without words that speaks to people.”
Beauty Changes Lives Foundation President Lynelle Lynch remarked on the how the Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Scholarship Competition continues to open opportunities and create community more than five years after its inception. “Through the generosity of Wella’s Hairdressers at Heart, this scholarship is equipping and empowering hairdressers to continually advance the craft of hairstyling,” says Lynch. “As the first brand to embrace Beauty Changes Lives, Wella continues to help beauty professionals realize their full potential through building their expertise.”
“At Wella’s Hairdressers at Heart, we support stylists in every phase of their career through scholarship, mentorship and community,” added Sal Mauceri, Senior Vice President North American Coty Professional Beauty and Global OPI. “We are proud to uphold Wella’s mission and Vidal Sassoon’s commitment to education by offering these talented stylists the opportunity to grow their skills and turn their career aspirations into reality through this namesake scholarship.”
About the Beauty Changes Lives: With a mission to elevate, educate and empower, Beauty Changes Lives is uniting the industry and building awareness of the extraordinary career opportunities in the beauty, wellness and massage therapy industries. Learn more at http://www.beautychangeslives.org or find us on Facebook.
About Hairdressers at Heart: Stylists are committed to being the best, perfecting their craft with every cut. Wella is here to advance the salon industry, one stylist at a time. Hairdressers at Heart is a program created to help stylists develop their talents throughout their career. Our goal is to be a vital partner to salons, empowering individual stylists and our entire industry. For more information: https://www.facebook.com/HairdressersAtHeart/.
About Coty Inc.: Coty is one of the world’s largest beauty companies with approximately $9 billion in revenue, with a purpose to celebrate and liberate the diversity of consumers’ beauty. Its strong entrepreneurial heritage has created an iconic portfolio of leading beauty brands. Coty is the global leader in fragrance, a strong number two in professional salon hair color & styling, and number three in color cosmetics. Coty operates three divisions – Coty Consumer Beauty, which is focused on color cosmetics, retail hair coloring and styling products, body care and mass fragrances sold primarily in mass retail channels with brands such as COVERGIRL, Max Factor and Rimmel; Coty Luxury, which is focused on prestige fragrances and skincare with brands such as Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Hugo Boss, Gucci and philosophy; and Coty Professional Beauty, which is focused on servicing salon owners and professionals in both hair and nail, which brands such as Wella Professionals, Sebastian Professional, and OPI. Coty has approximately 20,000 colleagues globally and its products are sold in over 130 countries. Coty and its brands are committed to a range of social causes as well as seeking to minimize its impact on the environment. For additional information about Coty Inc., please visit http://www.coty.com.
About Sassoon Academy: Sassoon Academy offers its celebrated, industry-leading philosophy and courses worldwide through its renowned Academies, and instructional DVDs and books. All classes are developed and designed to be contemporary, relevant and forward thinking and are delivered with passion, commitment and technical excellence. The aim is to share the knowledge that is gained in the development of our craft and ensure that our students gain real commercial skills from our courses, as well as take away a piece of the culture that created Sassoon. To learn more about Sassoon Academy, visit http://www.sassooon.com or follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/SassoonAcademy, Twitter: twitter.com/SassoonAcademy and Instagram: @sassooonacademyofficial
