America’s most outstanding students were celebrated at the Nuts and Bolts International Business Student of the Year (IBSY) Awards and the Sassoon Academy School Connection Awards, held this January in a joint ceremony at ISSE Long Beach.
Every year thousands of students compete in the IBSY and Cut|Color Awards, now in their 7th year, with just 35 making it through for the finals at ISSE. Fellow students and instructors from schools all across the country gathered at the ceremony to watch the show and hear the final three winners from each of the awards. During the afternoon Eden Sassoon, industry icon Vidal Sassoon’s daughter, came onstage to thunderous applause to talk about how much this industry meant to her father. She shed a few tears –and a few inches from her shoulder-length hair, cut on stage by Sassoon’s Global Artistic Director, Mark Hayes!– making it an event the audience will never forget!
Top students from all the Nuts & Bolts partner schools competed for the IBSY competition based on performance in their business programs, provided by Nuts & Bolts Training, with students entering from Canada, USA and Australia. Every participant had to demonstrate outstanding levels of creativity and business acumen.
IBSY Cosmetology Awards
1st Place
Brittney Dreiling
Hays Academy of Hair Design
2nd Place
Hannah McCullough
Hair Arts Academy
3rd Place
Kimberly Choi
Sassoon Academy
Nuts & Bolts partner Sassoon Academy School Connection (SASC) also hosts its Cut|Colour Competition in connection with the business awards, showcasing hairdressing talent. Nuts & Bolts client Hays Academy of Hair Design in Hays, Kansas, dominated the podium, taking first, second and third at the SASC Awards along with 1st place in the IBSY Awards for Cosmetology.
SASC Awards
1st Place
Julie Lang
Hays Academy
2nd Place
Phoenix Hobdell
Hays Academy
3rd Place
Michelle Alexandres
Hays Academy
“It was an amazing experience, watching this new talent being celebrated by their peers,” said Jamie Yates, CEO of Nuts and Bolts Training. “Both the IBSY and SASC awards demonstrate the dedication and hard work of Nuts and Bolts students, who are personally driving professional excellence in the world’s cosmetology industries.” Every student who won a place in the finals was awarded prizes, which together totalled more than $40,000, including cash and a huge array of amazing hair-related gifts, including advanced courses.
