All of the packaging is made from recycled material. Also throughout the year I was in school I had the opportunity to participate in many fundraisers for various charities. We did a walk for water, a fashion show for breast cancer, toys for tots, souls for souls, and participated in an event raising money for the Office of the Public Guardian.

The curriculum and the phase breakdown is great at Aveda as well. It has the perfect mix of hands-on work and textbooks and instructional videos. The instructors are great and will guide you step by step through everything you do and will not leave anyone behind. They are even willing to help on days off. I quickly felt as if I was family with all of my educators and all of my classmates. The program is broken into five eleven week phases. The introduction phase is where you build your fundamentals. You spend the entire time in the classroom learning the basic techniques, learning how to formulate color, how to properly cut hair, how to properly blow dry, and how to preserve your body throughout your career using proper body mechanics. The next phase, Advanced 1, starts to build upon what you learned in intro. You spent half the time in the classroom and half the time practicing what you learned on real people. Advanced 2 builds upon that even more. You spend less time in the classroom and more time with guests. This was the phase where everything started coming together for me. I had confidence, I wasn t shy around new people, I knew the product I was working with, my work was gorgeous, and I felt truly passionate about what I was doing. By that point only the serious students who shared this passion with me were left in my class. The next phase you move into is Salon Concepts. It is run very similar to a real salon.

What sets Aveda cosmetology apart?

During my senior year of high school I made my final decision that I wanted follow my passion and become a hairstylist. My mom and I did a lot of research and visited several cosmetology schools throughout the state including various technical schools and other larger institutes. I went on a beauty school directory website and entered some information and got an immediate response from the Aveda Institute in Tallahassee. I arranged an appointment to tour the school later that week, and upon entering the lobby I knew that was the school for me. It couldn t have made a better first impression. The atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was professional, put together, and knowledgeable, in addition to trendy, unique, and confident.

The same day that Traci (the nice and energetic admissions lady) guided me on the tour I enrolled to begin in the class starting the week after my high school graduation. She kept in touch through the next couple of months helping me get all of my paper work completed and making sure I was prepared to begin.

On the first day I began my new class the entire school gathered for Grand Assembly. Everyone stood up and recited the mission statement: Our Mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in; from the products we make, to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world. That was when I learned what set Aveda apart from other schools. I quickly became educated about where the products came from, who they benefit, and how to use them. I love that everything in the products is plant derived, environmentally friendly, and ae timing for the service becomes important, you have people coming into see you by request and you can see how much progress you have really made since the beginning. Finally, you move into the Masters phase. This is the final phase preparing you for the real world. You have independence, your own style, you know the techniques, and you stay busy as if it is a real work day.

In the Masters phase the institute hosted salon tours and a career fair. We had the opportunity to meet with owners of local salons and some salons that were farther away. We handed out resumes and gather information about each of them. I then met with Kimberly, the North Florida Salon Development Partner. She helped me to get back in contact with the salons I was interested in and helped me set up some interviews. I graduated school on July 3rd, took my state board test the following week, and started working at my new salon, So Pure, the very next day. The transition into working on my own was so easy. I was 100% prepared. I knew all of the Aveda rituals, my skill level was right on point, and I finally began to live my dream. I truly don t believe I could have benefited more from any other school.

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