Beacon is a national competition for cosmetology students in the beauty industry put on by the Professional Beauty Association. It allows students to experience a rigorous program that allows them to grow professionally. Out of thousands of entries, PBA selects 100 finalists in addition to honorable mentions and invites them to attend the Beacon event in Las Vegas. This exciting event is complete with a hair show, workshops, education (and a packed gift bag full of tons of products and tools)!
Aveda Institute Portland Pulls in the Win!
Across both our Portland and Vancouver campus, our students brought home a ton of wins with 7 winners and 10 honorable mentions!
Brandon Cornwell
Jennifer Lee
Kristy Costanzo
Alexaundra Sandoz
Angela Gravelle
Shelby Sassaman
Elizabeth Kennedy
Robyn Turner
Alyssa Lavadour
Katie Yozamp
Meet our Winners
Stephanie Bratcher
Stephanie entered Beacon to challenge herself outside of school. She is passionate about branding, marketing and uses it as her tool for success in the industry. She specializes in all things blonde from balayage to babylights. She can’t wait to network at Beacon in Las Vegas!
Check out her work on Instagram @stephbratchstyles
Hailey Guyette
Hailey is a driven student who entered the competition as a strategic career opportunity. She loves doing editorial looks and she is entering some of her new work in NAHA. Her favorite thing about the beauty industry is the variety of focuses and opportunities to continually grow and learn.
See more of Hailey's looks on Instagram @allhailsbeauty
Ashonti Turner
Ashonti wasn’t going to apply to Beacon originally but was pushed by her instructor Beau and that extra motivation drove her to success. She has a background in pageantry and is most passionate about abstract, structured makeup. Making people feel good about themselves is the reason she joined the beauty industry.
Check out more on Instagram @makeupshonti
Audrianna Young
Audrianna has always been competitive whether it be sports or school, which is why she entered Beacon. Audrianna loves doing special event makeup of all kinds, from fashion shows, to costume, to prom. Behind the chair, she loves helping her guests see the beauty that she sees in them. She can’t wait to walk the red carpet at the Beacon in Las Vegas!
Check her work out on Instagram @audballbeauty
Alicia Mandt
Alicia is a creative student who has cherished her years at the Aveda Institute Portland. She is inspired by her instructors and ultimately applied to Beacon because of their encouragement. She loves bringing beauty into the world one service at a time.
Marissa Mckay
Marissa loves to connect with her guests and get creative with hair. She is obsessed with all types of braids whether it's doing her classic crown braid or creating an oversized fishtail updo like the one in Beacon entry. Marissa entered Beacon because she wanted to challenge herself and see what she could achieve.
See more of her work on Instagram @bobbypinblonde
Courtney Hermens
Courtney found her true passion doing hair as a way to channel her creativity. She is a powerhouse behind the chair and loves doing total transformations like color correction and platinum blonding. Courtney graduated in June and now works as an apprentice at Hair M|W!
