Madison Wade working on her NAHA application.
As the deadline to apply for Beacon 2016 nears, we caught up with our graduate, Madison Wade to shed some light on how she got her start to success in this industry. Ironically, it all began with her application to Beacon.*
“My advice to students currently enrolled at Inspire Greatness Institutes is to apply yourself. Just try. Sometimes it’s intimidating but if you don’t try, you’ll never have the chance,” – Madison Wade.
Though she didn’t move along through the Beacon process back in 2014, she didn’t get discouraged or give up. It was the beginning of a journey where she learned to never give up. Madison eventually went on to take Editorial ReMix in Denver, London Study Abroad and eventually applied for NAHA, all while she was a student at Aveda Institute Denver.
Madison credits her NAHA experience in teaching her how to work with a team, and more importantly how important having a team is.
“I would never be able to do this without Brad. He’s been my mentor, my teacher and inspiration,” says Madison as she mixes color. She’s working with Brad Van Dyke, Education Director for Inspire Greatness Institutes as she prepares her next application for NAHA. Brad is coaching Madison and overseeing her finished looks.
Each Inspire Greatness Institute had one student finalist for the NAHA 2015 Student Hair Stylist of the Year!
Brad shares, “Madison being here today working with us in our Institute is a representation of how once you graduate from IG, you’re always a part of our family.”
She applied for NAHA 2015 in the category of Student Hairstylist of the Year. Madison, along with students from our sister locations in Tucson, Phoenix and Provo became a finalist for the competition. The winner was Dustin Villa from Aveda Institute Tucson but all four nominees, including Madison, were recognized at Aveda Congress this past fall and were able to be backstage working with the industry professionals, including the Aveda Institutes section which was formatted by our Creative Director, Heggy Gonzalez.
“Being a part of the NAHA experience has opened so many doors for me in this industry. I’m building an incredible network, sharing talent, meeting so many inspiring people and working more and more to build my career. NAHA was just the beginning,” says Madison.
Currently Madison is working at Matthew Morris salon but she shared it wouldn’t surprise her if becoming an educator is in her future, maybe even here at Aveda Institute Denver.
“Foundation is everything, it’s who you are. My foundation is here at Aveda Institute Denver.”
Madison Wade’s collection for NAHA 2015 Student Hairstylist of the Year
*NAHA, North American Hairstyling Awards, is a globally recognized opportunity to receive recognition in our industry for our technical skill. Our NAHA Experience continues to be a significant Point of Difference for our Inspire Greatness Institutes. We were excited to celebrate NAHA finalist from each of our Inspire Greatness locations in 2015 in the category of Student Hairstylist of the Year.
*The Professional Beauty Association’s Beacon program is a renowned program designed to encourage and inspire beauty industry students to effectively and aggressively prepare for successful careers. This program provides the nation’s most promising cosmetology students with education and opportunities to network with the industry’s highest profile salon owners, professionals, and stylists during PBA Beauty Week.
To learn more about Madison Wade, visit her Web site or book an appointment with her at Matthew Morris Salon in Denver, Colo.
