• A legendary beauty family’s generosity is helping six cosmetology students launch their careers.

• The Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Foundation is pleased to announce the Summer 2020 scholarship recipients, continuing its legacy of advancing education and empowering career paths for next gen artists.

• Winners and their respective schools are as follows:

Queshauna Kinloch, @bree.paulmitchellgvl

Paul Mitchell – the School, Greenville, S.C.

Arnold M. Miller Find-A-Way, $15,000

While beauty can be defined as pleasing the aesthetic senses, Queshauna says it is so much more. A lifelong artist, Queshauna says, “I thought of the head as a piece of paper” and when she discovered natural hair it changed the trajectory of her life. But life – including showing up at a modeling casting call without headshots - had taught Queshauna that preparation was essential – including preparation for a career in beauty. “Art and styling go hand in hand, and even beginning this career during a pandemic, I know beauty is where I am meant to be,” she says. Watch her  video here. 

Meighan Zai’Moy, @meighan_zaimoy

Avenue Five Institute, Round Rock, TX

Sydell L. Miller Total Image, $7,500

“To love your skin is to love a masterpiece and skin love is self love,” says Meighan who wants to help clients get back to the basics of skincare and self-worth, choice by choice. “You teach what you need to learn” says Meighan, who credits the strong women in her family with inspiring her interest in skincare. She’s currently studying to become a Reiki practitioner while holding down two jobs and attending beauty school. Ever the optimist, Meighan says that attending cosmetology school during the pandemic will provide her with an even higher level of understanding regarding sanitation and salon hygiene when she earns her license. Watch her video here.  

Roberta Hoag, @bridespa

Academy of Career Training, Saint Cloud, FL

Sydell L. Miller Total Image - $7,500

After earning a degree in dance, Roberta spent 15 years as a professional dancer. The bright lights of the stage introduced her to the power of make-up. But it wasn’t until she became a massage therapist in 2001 that she  discovered the meaning that drives her passion for esthetics. “A client said, ‘thank you for making me feel so good’ and that was the moment I knew I had to become an esthetician,”  she says. Watch Roberta’s video here.    

Killoran Cifuentes, @killoran.beauty.co

Central Texas Beauty College, Temple TX

Art of Haircutting - $5,000

Killoran’s artistic presentation in the scholarship competition includes a sassy pixie, mature bob that revealed a lovely neck hidden under “quarantine hair” and a textured style she gave to her best friend. She shared three reasons driving her passion for beauty. “First, beauty is the true me – it’s what I want to do and not what others think might be more prestigious work,” she says. “Second, I just keep falling more in love with beauty, discovering extensions, facials and all this industry has to offer.” And finally, Killoran embraces the flexibility the entrepreneurial nature of beauty careers provides. Watch her video here.

Karla Crabtree, @vaildasalon

Paul Mitchell – The School, Fort Myers

Art of Hairdressing - $5,000

The mom of children with autism spectrum disorder struggled to find a salon to accommodate her children’s special needs. She was inspired to learn haircutting with a goal of opening a salon that serves those suffering from sensory challenges. “I never dreamed I would work as a hairstylist, but I’ve always wanted to help others feel accepted,” says Karla. She aspires to open a salon catering to people with special needs. Watch her video here.

Kelcie Dies, @kelciedies

Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology, Pelzer, SC

Art of Haircolor - $5,000

Kelcie’s earliest memories of hair color date  back to dying her Barbie doll’s hair with soda. But while the passion for beauty was always there, she felt pressured to attend a four-year school. A quarter-life crisis inspired her to follow her dreams. “As hairstylists, we change people physically, but we also get to change them from the inside out,” she says. She’s come a long way since her days of soda color as she focuses on texture, volume and dimensional color.  Watch her video here.

Announced in 2017, the Miller Family Foundation scholarships provide tuition grants to support next-gen professionals in the esthetics and cosmetology industries. The $1M grant has helped launch more than 20 careers. More information is available at http://beautychangeslives.org/scholarships/. Remarking on the new scholarship winners, Beauty Changes Lives President Lynelle Lynch said, “Since announcing this generous gift at the 2017 Beauty Changes Lives Experience, Miller Family Foundation scholarships winners have launched successful businesses, spoken at industry events and  been featured in prestigious media outlets. We are honored to have the support of such an esteemed legend in the industry and are humbled by their generous investment in the professional beauty industry’s future.”

Left: Sydell L. Miller and the late Arnold M. Miller, co-founders of Matrix Essentials

About the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation: 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 www.beautychangeslives.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram.