Eight months after the Leo Passage Endowment Fund (LEPF) was established with a generous $1M endowment from the Passage Family, the Endowment has announced its first scholarship competition. The Beauty Changes Lives (BCL) | Leo Passage Postgraduate Scholarship was introduced during America’s Beauty Show (ABS) at the Legacy Awards gala. Designed to recognize and celebrate Pivot Point International, Inc. founder Leo Passage’s passion to benefit competition, scholarships and sustainable learning, the inaugural round of awards will fund 25 scholarships, up to $2,000 each, including travel assistance.

The competition is open March 23 through June 1, 2015. The program is specifically designed to celebrate and uplift licensed cosmetology educators and licensed cosmetology educators are encouraged to apply for the postgraduate learning opportunity. Scholarships will engage recipients in Pivot Point International’s proprietary “Creative Jam Sessions,” an educational approach that explores the intersection of the artistic process and the craft of hair design. The sessions challenge participants to adapt core principles applied in art while creating innovative hair designs infused with energy reflecting local and international cultural elements.

“Throughout his career, Leo Passage integrated his passion for art – particularly the Bauhaus principles of art and design – into hair design and we’re honored to celebrate his legacy through the gift of education,” said Lynelle Lynch, president of the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation (BCL). She added that the addition of the Leo Passage Endowment Fund expands the depth of BCL’s postgraduate offerings.

Chairman and CEO Robert Passage said, “My father’s vision was always focused on the next generation of designers because he knew there was so much talent to be developed by the leaders and experts of our industry. It was his belief and mission in life to share with others what he knew. He said that his greatest achievement was making a positive impact on peoples’ lives through education. With this endowment fund, his greatest achievement will live on.”

Winners will be selected by a panel of industry judges. The post-graduate scholarships provide a two-day immersive “Creative Jam” workshop. Core components of the experience include creating a mood board that expands artistic expression in hairstyling, instruction on the translation and interpretation of local and international cultures, an educational philosophy that celebrates the inspirational process that drives artistic expression. The Beauty Changes Lives Foundation serves as the administering body for the scholarships which will be awarded to licensed hairstylists.

www.beautychangeslives.org

www.pivot-point.com