Do you know someone in cosmetology school that's looking to jumpstart their career? Each year, a group of students wins the opportunity to do just that thanks to the Beacon Program, a national student competition that grants industry exposure and a ticket to the Beacon event held during Cosmoprof in Las Vegas.
The Beacon Student Program is a national competition designed to encourage and inspire beauty school students to prepare for life after cosmetology school. Based on their professional portfolios, including a resume, letter of recommendation, portfolio of images and marketing piece, the top-scoring 100 students are honored as Beacon Winners and the next 200 top-scoring students are recognized as Honorable Mentions.
Winners and Honorable Mentions receive an invitation to attend the exclusive three-day Beacon event at PBA Beauty Week in Las Vegas from July 28 – 30, 2018. The Beacon Event invites students to meet beauty icons such as Vivienne Mackinder and Geno Stampora, network with peers, and attend the North American Hairstyling Awards.
Fallyn Mireault, a previous Beacon Award winner, says she decided to enter the program to elevate her craft. "I was pretty early in my cosmetology program and I heard of the program through previous winners. I saw it as an opportunity to build my resume and add to my portfolio," she says. A simple desire to advance her career completely changed her life when she was chosen as a Beacon award winner. "Winning didn't even feel real to me," she says. "it completely changed the trajectory of my career. Beacon led me to events that I have only ever dreamt of. I will always be incrediby thankful for the program."
Even though cosmetology school is just the beginning of a long and rewarding career, past winners say there's nothing better than being reminded of your passion and why you chose to enter the industry in the first place. "Beacon is a gathering of the most promising students in the world," Halle Taylor, previous Beacon award winner, says. "The energy and love in the room is truly explosive," she says. Plus, it's the confidence boost most students are hungry for. "No matter how skilled or unskilled you think you are, Beacon is for you," Anthony Kakos, previous Beacon award winner, adds. "Let this be an opportunity you don't pass up because within this large opportunity, there are so many others waiting to be seized."
Entries for the 2019 Beacon Program are now open. Learn more at probeauty.org/beacon