After she heard the giggles coming from the bathroom, my mom opened the door to her worst nightmare. Hair. Everywhere. What's worse? We were set to be flower girls in my uncle's wedding the following weekend, so she, understandably, totally freaked.

She picked us up, threw us in the bathtub, and started shampooing our heads like a crazy person, as though that would somehow make our long hair grow back.

(Above, me and my little "guinea pig" Megan, 17 years later)

Like I said, ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted to go to beauty school. My stylist throughout high school, Cia, was a Pivot Point graduate and used to tell me about the experience she had there-and I always loved her cutting technique and would ask her loads of questions about her experience every time I went in for a cut.

But, I never went for it. My Dad had went to a four-year university, and my older sister Dana was off at a Big Ten university. So I followed suit. I went off to college and found another passion in journalism-graduating with my bachelor's from Columbia in Chicago.

Shortly after, I came here, to Modern Salon Media, and started covering the beauty industry-which was the PERFECT fit for me since I wanted to write, and I always wanted to be in this industry, learning from the pros.

Well, it's been more than a year since I started working for Modern, and I love it more and more every day. Yet, I can't help myself but be slightly envious of all of you who can cut and style hair. Every time I edit a technical, attend a beauty show or see a winning NAHA photo, I get that feeling in my gut, "Hey, I want to do that!" I still have that passion I so desperately want to explore.

After I shared my dream of attending beauty school around the office, our Associate Publisher Michele Musgrove contacted Ken Angermeier, vice president of global marketing for Pivot Point International. Ken and Pivot Point so graciously invited me to join their enrolling class, beginning September 28, waiving the cost of tuition and supplies in exchange for me blogging about my experience. So, and I am SO THRILLED to say, for the next 18 months, I will work in our offices by day, and attend school at night. And I couldn't be happier! Now, in addition to charting my personal journey in the program, I'll really get the inside look at the life and career of a professional stylist.

In the coming weeks, look to modernsalon.com for blogs, webcasts and pics documenting my beauty school experience. I am so excited! Hopefully I've improved since I was seven, and my little sister Megan even volunteered to be my guinea pig again as I learn the trade. Excellent!

"Luck is where preparation meets opportunity!"

-Luis Alvarez, co-founder of Aquage, 2009 L.E.O Award recipient