Salon Success Academies Students are Super Stylists!

June ’10

Salon Success Academies sent seven lucky students to the Pechanga Resort and Casino to participate in the SuperCuts Super Sunday event last month and compete in the Junior Mannequin and the SuperStyle competitions. But before these talented students could compete at Super Sunday, they had to win the Salon Success Academies “So You Think You Can Style” contest, held at school and online.

Twelve students entered the Salon Success Academies “So You Think You Can Style” contest, with the hopes of moving on and competing at the Super Sunday event. Students gave makeovers to live models, with styles ranging from Janis Joplin and Shakira to a prom style and a 1940s themed look. All of the work for these styles had to be completed during school hours, and students had to submit a selection of photos of their work, as well as a short essay explaining their theme and the tools and techniques they used to create it.

One winner was chosen from each campus, based on judging criteria and two additional winners were chosen through online voting. Salon Success Academies’ students, family, and friends all logged on to vote for their favorite style, with over 250 votes cast! The seven students who won were: Alexandria Paz from Corona, Bliss Gray from San Bernardino, Dianna Herrera from Redlands, Adrianna Vizcarra from Fontana, Kimberly Thompson from Upland, Maria Garcia from San Bernardino, and Sara McCallon from Corona.

On May 23rd, these students crowded into a ballroom with hundreds of other people at the Pechanga Resort and Casino to participate in the SuperStyle and Junior Mannequin competitions. Kimberly Thompson, from the Upland campus, was one of the students who participated in the SuperStyle competition, working on stage alongside the 33 other participants from area beauty schools.

Kimberly competed with a live model, Chelsey Johnson, also from Upland, and created a style that was based on singer Gwen Stefani, from the band No Doubt. Students had to base their style’s theme on a musical artist, and Kimberly thought that creating a Gwen Stefani look would give her a chance to be creative and different.

Leading up to the SuperStyle competition, Kimberly and other Salon Success Academies students practiced their styles in school. A representative from SuperCuts even stopped by to watch the students and offer tips and advice for the competition.

“Participating in a competition like this is something totally different from normal salon work,” explained Susan Turner, Vice President of Salon Success Academies. “The students had only 30 minutes to cut their model’s hair, and another 30 minutes to style it and complete the look. And all of this had to be done in front of a live audience of cheering friends and family! It was an exciting event and we’re proud of all the students who came to compete and to cheer on their classmates.”

Kimberly loved the fast-paced atmosphere of the competition, and said that her favorite part of the event was doing the haircut in such a short amount of time. She’s had experience doing this kind of under-pressure work before, when she participated in a fashion show that was a fundraiser for breast cancer. She’ll be doing similar work in the coming weeks, working on set for several commercials.

“I like challenging myself to do things I haven’t done before, and this competition made me focus and have confidence in myself so that I could complete the haircut,” Kimberly said. “The entire experience was just amazing, and I’m proud that I succeeded in accomplishing my goal.”

About Salon Success Academies

Salon Success Academy offers five locations in California’s Inland Empire, in Redlands, Fontana, Upland, San Bernardino, and Corona. Our mission at SSA involves caring for every student as a member of our family, furnishing the chance to finish their educational objectives as affordably as possible. SSA incorporates first-hand, real-world practice of the principles of cosmetology, skin care, and nail artistry. The campus teams with members of the beauty industry to educate our graduates on the technical and customer service skills they need to succeed in their careers.