Wella’s Hairdressers at Heart and the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation (BCL) announce the opening of the Fall 2016 Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education Scholarship Program application window. Applications will be accepted through September 19, 2016. Established in 2012, the competition celebrates the passion of aspiring hairstylists and the commitment of licensed hairstylists to push their career to new limits.

Following are a few comments from the nearly 200 individuals who have been awarded Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education scholarships:

I’ve always told my son and daughter they could do anything they dreamed of achieving. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten bolder about pursuing my passion and searched out a scholarship that would let me make my dream come true. It is so great to go into the beauty school classroom and be happy doing what I love every day. I never had that feeling when I was in college or working in retail.” Autumn White, 2013 Basic Winner

“I’ve always known that I wanted to work in the beauty industry and I was always impressed with Sassoon’s passion and commitment to following his vision. This award is about more than money; it’s an honor to be associated with such a standard of excellence,” Rachael Cooper, 2013 Basic Winner

Not many people follow their dreams, but that’s so important and the Vidal Sassoon Professional Education Scholarship helped me continue my professional dream. I tell students that anything is possible as long as you have the heart to pursue your goal.” Tara Gross, 2014 Advanced Winner

Ten “Basic” scholarships winners will receive scholarships covering 50% of tuition (up to $10,000) at a qualified cosmetology school in the U.S. or Canada. Additionally, 10 licensed hairstylists will receive “Advanced” scholarships to attend a North American Sassoon Academy program, including travel and course fees up to $5,000.

The scholarship competition is generously funded by Wella’s Hairdressers at Heart, a multi-year, $1.5M scholarship program honoring the legacy of Vidal Sassoon and his belief in lifelong education

Beauty Changes Lives Foundation President Lynelle Lynch said the program underscores the importance of education throughout a hairstylists’ career journey. “Beauty is a career that celebrates diversity, yet a unifying element in every successful hairstylists’ career is a commitment to ongoing education. We are honored to work with Wella’s Hairdressers at Heart to support hairstylists’ continued development,” Lynch said.  

Wella North America CEO Sal Mauceri said Wella is committed to fostering the next generation of beauty professionals through scholarships, mentorship and education.

“Education is the cornerstone of excellence in our industry and Wella’s Hairdressers at Heart is pleased to see Vidal’s commitment to education live on through the Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education Scholarship,” Mauceri said. “Vidal transformed not just the art and science of hairstyling, but the world’s perception of hairstyling as a career.”

Several of the Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education scholarship winners’ photos and quotes will be shared during a Beauty Changes Lives press conference July 24 at Cosmoprof North America. For more information on “Basic” and “Advanced” scholarships please visit: www.beautychangeslives.org and www.hairdressersatheart.com.

About the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation: The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) created by the American Association of Cosmetology Schools to build awareness of the extraordinary career opportunities available in the beauty and wellness industry and massage therapy. The Foundation also organizes and participates in numerous philanthropic fundraisers that shine the spotlight on the charitable initiatives of the beauty and wellness community.

About Wella, the Salon Professional Division of P&G:Procter & Gamble serves nearly five billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Duracell®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, Wella® and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

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 www.sassoon.comor follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/SassoonAcademy, Twitter: twitter.com/SassoonAcademyand Instagram: @sassoonacademyofficial.