Celebrity manicurist, Julie Kandalec, has announced an addition to Julie K Nail Academy, The Maya Nailpreneur Scholarship.
The annual scholarship will be awarded to one student a year, to participate in Julie’s exclusive eight-week Nailpreneur online business course. The scholarship is intended to support students who are interested in growing their careers and to help aspiring nail professionals level up their business and entrepreneurial skills within the nail industry.
The programme is designed for nail professionals who want to elevate their careers beyond the traditional 40-hour salon-based work week. Throughout the course, Julie personally guides students on how to run a successful business including branding, marketing, and social media for beauty professionals, how to find celebrity clients in any city, behind-the-scenes of working on set, offering VIP services including hotel and house calls, and building credibility.
The course also features impressive interviews with industry leaders, including Julie’s agent, a celebrity publicist with Searchlight Pictures, a beauty attorney, and the social media manager at essie.
The Maya Nailpreneur Scholarship was created in memory of Julie’s 16-year-old chihuahua, Maya, who recently passed away. The scholarship will be awarded annually to one nail artist or student who demonstrates both a passion for the industry and a strong commitment to their education in terms of growth. The scholarship will cover the full cost of tuition for the Nailpreneur course which equates to $3,300, and two runner-ups will receive $1,600 and $800, toward the cost of tuition, respectively.
Julie was inspired to name the scholarship after her dog during a visit with Maya’s vet, whose goddaughter is also a nail artist, who Julie had been actively mentoring for a year. Julie decided she wanted to give something back in honour of Maya.
The applicants went through a series of challenges in order to qualify including creating a nail art look for a celebrity to wear at the Grammy’s, a written assignment that included a journey through their career, and why they’d benefit from the programme.
The winners for this year are:
Grand Prize Winner: Sara Lewis @sarandipity_nails
Runner-Up: Michelle Quiroz @ohchamomilenails
Second Runner Up: Lauren Johnson @mindfulmanisalon
“Coming from a family of teachers, education has always been at the helm of my career,” reveals Julie Kandalec, founder of Julie K Nail Academy.
“Giving back through beauty has been a big part of my journey, and one of the most gratifying. I understand how far a little help can go, and I wanted to ensure no student should be left out.”
“One of my mentors recently took Julie’s Nailpreneur class and gave it a great review,” adds Sara Lewis, winner of this year’s scholarship.
“When I saw that Julie was offering the Maya Nailpreneur Scholarship, I knew I had to apply. The process was so fun and challenging and I’m so thrilled to have won! This course will give me the skill set to expand my business & level up my career as a nail technician. I cannot thank Julie enough for this amazing opportunity.”
Graduates will receive a generous amount of hand-selected nail products featuring leading nail brands such as CND, Red Iguana, ORLY+, Lights Lacquer, Morgan Taylor, Maxus, and Julie K Nail Art.
The spring programme launches on 5 March and applications for the next course will open soon.