Week Eight: Beauty Changes Lives

I am so excited to say that my nail tech school tuition will be paid in full! Last week, the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation announced the CND|BCL|Tippi Hedren Nail Technology Scholarship recipients, and I was completely surprised and honored to have been chosen as one of the 10 winners.

I am truly grateful; winning this scholarship has motivated me even more to work really hard to be a success in the nail industry. The feeling of being recognized for my hard work and effort is indescribable. Thank you Tippi Hedren, the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation, and CND!

Speaking of winning, this week in school the nail technology, cosmetology, esthetician, and barber instructors announced that our school will be holding its seasonal student competition. The theme is the five elements, and one student from each department has to create a group to execute the theme. The good news is that because I’ll still be a student during the time to sign-up for the competition, I can participate; the bad news is that I am completely terrified of nail art competitions. I always notice the advertisements calling for nail techs and nail artists to show off their skills and compete with their nail art for a chance to win huge prizes, but because the past winning entries are so creative, I always feel like I need much more practice, so I never apply to compete. My instructor mentioned that prospective employers like to see your versatility as a nail tech and competing in industry competitions helps to build your resume. So I figured I would give it a shot, and I will be competing in my first ever nail art competition. I wasn’t certain where I should start, so after brainstorming with my teammates, I decided to sharpen my skills and practice my 3-D sculpting.

In addition to winning the Beauty Changes Lives scholarship and preparing for the school nail art competition, I took a lot of time out to go back to my textbook and review nail, hand, and foot anatomy, and chemistry and sanitation. After all, my final/state board exam is just a few weeks away!

Until next week,

— Tisha

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