Five cosmetology students are recipients of the inaugural CosmoProf Licensed to Create Scholarship. Each winner receives $5,000 toward cosmetology program tuition. The winners and their respective schools are:

Justine Boccieri, Girard, OH, Casal Aveda Institute (Photo not available)

Justine’s passion for a career as a hairstylist didn’t start until she was a college student. That’s when video tutorials inspired her to pursue a career behind the chair. Watching her aunt provide beauty services to patients in a nursing home also contributed to her desire to pursue a career helping others look and feel better. Justine states in her application video, “In the short term, the CosmoProf scholarship will provide a head start on my future by offsetting some of the debt associated with beauty school; and in the long run, it will help me help others look and feel their best.”    

Cherry Estrella, San Diego, Calif., Bellus Academy

Cherry says she practically grew up in the salon, often helping her mother as an assistant. Diagnosed with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in high school, Cherry has found hairstyling to be a form of art therapy. “As I focus on making art, cosmetology school is something that I really look forward to attending,” she says in her application video. Cherry wants to use a career as a hairstylist to help others see how beautiful they really are.

Destinee Rivera, Philadelphia, Pa., Jean Madeline Aveda Institute

Strongly encouraged by family to pursue a traditional four-year college degree, Destinee wants to prove that success can be achieved in the beauty industry. “I want to show my grandmother and my sisters that it’s possible to accomplish your dreams, whatever they may be,” says Destinee who would eventually like to use her cosmetology license within the music or entertainment industry.

Ashley Sandberg, Provo, Utah, Taylor Andrews Academy - Orem

Family is the driving force behind Ashley’s commitment to succeed in the beauty industry. While her grandmother taught her to braid hair, it was Ashley’s father who checked out textbooks on how to style hair and helped create intricate hairstyles for her to wear to school. She states in her application video, “Great hair enhances great moments and great moments add up to a wonderful life.” Ashley aspires to specialize in hairstyling for weddings.

Kathy Xiong, Chowchilla, Calif., Paul Mitchell the School – Fresno

A mother of two daughters and a military wife, Kathy advises in her application video, “Don’t let fear scare you from chasing your dreams.” Kathy wants to elevate perceptions of hairstyling. “People need to view hairstyling as a career and not a hobby,” says Kathy in her application video. While Kathy initially enrolled in beauty school to study makeup, she quickly fell in love with hairstyling. “I’m so excited to go to school every day and learn something new about the craft of styling hair,” she says.

 Introduced in 2017, the CosmoProf Licensed to Create scholarship celebrates the artistic skill and unlimited creativity of beauty professionals. “Cosmoprof honors the hard work and inspirational talent that thrives within this industry and the Licensed to Create Scholarship is one tool for celebrating NextGen hairstylists,” said Jennifer Wilder, vice president marketing at Cosmoprof. The scholarship is funded through generous contributions from CosmoProf customers, proceeds from Licensed to Create merchandise, and the support of brands including DevaCurl, Joico, TIGI and Wella, as well as a matching contribution from CosmoProf.

 “Beauty Changes Lives is honored to have one of the world’s premiere beauty distributors create a scholarship to help NextGen talent achieve their goals in an industry that offers so much in the way of career satisfaction, creative satisfaction and ultimately, unlimited potential,” said Lynelle Lynch, president of the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation.

 Applications for the Fall 2017 CosmoProf Licensed to Create Scholarship will be accepted August 28 thru October 30, 2017. Additional information about applying for the scholarship is available here.

About the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation: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 on Facebook.