L’Oréal Professionnel Fall 22 Recipients
L’Oreal Professionnel Elevate Salon Institute (ESI) $10,000 Cosmetology Student Scholarship
Julianne Elick @_nails_by_juliaa
Elevate Salon Institute – Westminster, CO
“Art is alive, art is fluid a place to abide, I aspire to be a poet with your hair, just as much as I am with my words.” Julianne’s expressive video submission is creative, charming and most of all inspirational. She explains about her challenges being one of five adopted siblings with special needs from foster care, with ten siblings in all. She eloquently explains that she has a digestive disorder that requires her to have a feeding tube, and although her tenacity has been tested, she does not want to feel sad for her plight. “Triumph through ART allow me to time travel as well as unravel how beauty had a place from the start, “she continues. She said she has always enjoyed the beauty industry, but it became clear when she provided the makeup and hair application for her cousin’s wedding and that was the spark that showed her that this was her calling and not just a hobby. Check out her winning submission HERE.
L’Oreal Professionnel “Inspiration Through Education” $5,000 Cosmetology Student Scholarship
Zahraa Farhat @secrethairbar
Attending Douglas J Aveda in Royal Oaks, MI
Zahraa’s dream job is make others feel beautiful. She says that once she graduates, her goal is become master colorist and also focus on hair extensions. She says one day she hopes to open her own salon and looks forward to sharing her knowledge to future professionals. “One of my favorite quotes is “knowledge is power”, but only if shared.” She explains that education is endless and states she is a lifetime student, always wanting to learn more about how to give the best salon experience to her future clients. Check out her winning submission HERE.
L’Oreal Professionnel “Empowering Diversity” $5,000 Cosmetology Student Scholarship
Jada Thompson @thejadaaslayy
Attending Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology in Columbia, SC
Jada begins her submission by stating, “the moment I decided a career in beauty was when I realized I had a true gift from God.” In August 2018, she went to college to study sport management, thinking at the time that this was her calling. When Covid hit, she had to return home and during quarantine and while watching how-to videos on trending hairstyles and with prodding from her cousin, she decided to try to complete the style, even though it was something she was not used to doing. She was so proud of the outcome, that she posted the look to her social media and to her surprise the post went viral. Out of the blue people were contacting her to book appointments and the support was over the roof. This is the moment when she realized her true gift and decided this was the time to make it happen. Check out Jada’s winning submission HERE.
L’Oréal Professionnel Spring 22 Recipients
L’Oreal Professionnel Inspiration Through Education $5,000 Cosmetology Student Scholarship
Mia “Solstice” Waltemate @solstice_sparkles
Paul Mitchell the School – St. Louis, MO
Mia Waltemate, aka Solstice, is extremely passionate about education and says it is essential to being a successful cosmetologist. Her ultimate dream is to own her own salon where she can create an environment where guests feel welcome to relax and let stylists take care of them. One of her biggest fears when she started the program was short hair styles. She dreaded it! The consistent direction and the tips and tricks to provide movement in the hair, it has now become one of her signature techniques. One of her biggest inspirations is Joshua Spengler who she says that anytime she is lucky enough to partner with him, she learns so much information that they don’t teach in the regular textbooks. They were lucky enough to sit in on a class taught by Robert and Mary Cromeans and she saw that Joshua’s journal was filled from notes from their instruction. It showed her that even successful stylists can continue to learn and improve their craft. Education is the foundation for everything, she has so much still to learn, and she will continue to find inspiration through education along her career journey. You can check out her winning video submission HERE.
L’Oreal Professionnel Empowering Diversity $5,000 Cosmetology Student Scholarship
N’Dia Gruning @thats_dia
Paul Mitchell the School – Dallas, TX
N’Dia decided to take a gap year after high school as she felt confused on what she wanted to focus on for her future. She originally was interested in becoming a registered nurse because it seemed like a safe route to take. During that year off, she focused instead on what was expected and what she would love to devote her career and what would provide her the most happiness. Since she was young, she loved doing her nails. Her passion that started as a hobby became the catalyst for her dreams for her future dream job. Even though she loved nail art, she also wanted to gain as much knowledge as possible so she could to excel within the beauty industry. She decided to jump in and enrolled in a cosmetology program, so she could learn all about hair, skin, and nails. Paul Mitchell the school in Dallas was the one school she felt had the diverse curriculum she was interested in, including education on black and textured hair, so she could learn how to handle any client regardless of hair type. She contributes her decision on the support of her boyfriend. He gave her the confidence and gave her the push she needed to finally enroll. He showed N’Dia that she needs to bet on herself to win. N’Dia’s ultimate goal is to break beauty standards and show others that they too can have their dream with hard work and effort! You can check out her winning video submission HERE.
L’Oreal Professionnel Elevate Salon Institute (ESI) $5,000 Cosmetology Student Scholarship
Gabriel Bernal @Antoni.hair
Elevate Salon Institute – Miami Beach. FL
“Gabe is an amazing stylist, he is brilliant at what he does,” beamed Erika Welch, one of his instructors at the Elevate Salon Institute in Miami Beach, Florida. He attributes watching America’s Next Top Model on TV and seeing the behind the scenes of the editorial shoots and all the hair and makeup artists involved started his obsession to be a part of the beauty industry. He loves making people feel good about themselves and he finds happiness in making them their best self. His most notable client just recently had a brain tumor removed and he has been working with her to make sure she continues to look awesome every time she comes in as her hair grows out. Her happiness makes his day. Making people beautiful and bring out their best self is the main reason he decided beauty as his career choice. You can check out his winning video submission HERE.
