Beauty Changes Lives Vidal Sassoon Scholarship Winners Announced

Wella's Hairdressers at Heart and the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation announced the winners of the Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education Scholarship Program "Basic" and "Advanced" competitions on May 28. The 10 "Basic" and 10 "Advanced" winners were selected from hundreds of applicants who competed in the national competition funded by Wella's Hairdressers at Heart and administered by the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation.

Ten "Basic" winners will each receive a scholarship covering 50% of cosmetology school tuition (up to $10,000) at an American Association of Cosmetology Schools member school. Ten "Advanced" scholarship winners will each receive a five-day course at a Sassoon Academy in North America, including travel and course fees (up to $5,000).

Winners of the "Basic" Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education Program are as follows: Candace Aussant, Paul Mitchell The School, San Antonio, TX; Haley Condor, Cosmetology Career Institute, Greenville, TX; Monesha Cooper, Regency Beauty Institute, Pasadena, TX; Debora Fuentes, Aveda Institute, Dallas, TX; Christine Gebbia, Paul Mitchell the School, Denver, CO; Megan Goldberg, Paul Mitchell the School, Las Vegas, NV; Demetra Kottis, Aveda Institute, New York, NY; Sarah Stuffelbeam, Cinta Aveda Institute, San Francisco, CA; Abrea Tillman, Cinta Aveda Institute, San Francisco, CA; Lisa Torres, ARROJO Cosmetology School, New York, NY.

Winners of the "Advanced" Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education Program and their salons are as follows: Kellie Crossley, Color by Kellie, Niagara Falls, ON; Layla Dudley, London Hair Studios, Eugene, OR; Kelsey Higginbotham, RUSH by Dino Palmieri, Cuyahoga, OH: Zinta Kalnins, Avalon Hair Design, North York, ON; Caitlin Lambert, Caitlin HairArtistry StL, St. Louis, MO; Vanessa Li, Salon La Sirena, Haleiwa, HI; Kay Matthews, Madison Avenue Salon, Seattle, WA; Amy Schaming, Metropolis Salon & Dry Bar, Columbia, SC; Leigh Schultz, Salon Decorum, Tottenham, ON; Dorothy Wrightsman, Bellus Academy, Poway, CA.

The scholarship program honors beauty visionary and entrepreneur Vidal Sassoon's lifelong passion for education. Since the competition was introduced in 2013, the Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education Scholarship Program has awarded 100 scholarships and fulfilled half of a $1.5M scholarship commitment Wella is funding through 2017.

A judging team composed of elite hairstylists selected the winners whose applications reflected their passion for the professional beauty industry and their desire to change lives as a licensed beauty and wellness professional. Winners' applications may be viewed at social beauty network Bloom.com http://www.bloom.com/ and at www.beautychangeslives.org.

"The Beauty Changes Lives scholarship suite has grown to include multiple educational opportunities in addition to a mentoring program," said Lynelle Lynch, president of the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation. "However, the Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education Scholarship was the first branded-scholarship offered by BCL and we're thrilled to see the program's legacy grow as scholarship winners complete their education and make their mark on the beauty world."

Wella North America CEO Sal Mauceri noted how Vidal Sassoon's legacy extended far beyond his iconic geometric cuts. "Vidal was a great hairstylist and artist, but he was also an extraordinary entrepreneur, educator, philanthropist and humanitarian who believed deeply in the power of education to change lives," he said. "Three years after his passing, Wella's Hairdressers at Heart is pleased to see Vidal's commitment to education live on through the Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education Scholarship."

For more information on the Basic and Advanced scholarships and to view entry videos submitted by previous winners, 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: Wella's products help make beauty dreams real every day for millions of stylists and consumers worldwide. Wella brands are distributed in more than 180,000 salons across the globe, and include Wella Professionals Care and Styling as well as Koleston Perfect, Illumina Color, Color Touch and Blondor by Wella Professionals; Sebastian Professional; Clairol Professional and Nioxin. The Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education Scholarship grant is part of Wella's "Hairdressers at Heart," an industry-wide program that supports stylists at each stage of their career with scholarships, through artistic competition, and with assisted child care and salon grants for community service.

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.com or follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/SassoonAcademy, Twitter: twitter.com/SassoonAcademy and Instagram: @sassoonacademyofficial.