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Avenue Five Institute Wins FIVE Golden School Awards

And the Winner is… Yours Truly: Avenue Five Institute

In the slightly altered words of the love ballad legend Bryan Adams, “Everything we do, we do it for you.”

As a result, we are exceptionally enthusiastic to share with our students, potential students, and curious observers that Avenue Five Institute won FIVE Golden School Awards. 

The Golden School Awards

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

What are the Golden School Awards, you might ask? 

The Golden School Awards are an inaugural award bestowed by the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS) in 2021. While the Golden School Awards are in their infancy, the AACS is a veteran in the industry. Founded in 1924, the AACS is an American, nonprofit association open to privately owned schools in the cosmetology arts and sciences. AACS members include 250 cosmetology, esthetics, barbering, and massage therapy school owners comprising over 500 schools across the country. 

The purpose of the AACS is to provide participating members with key industry information including cutting-edge teaching methods and the latest industry events. In addition, the AACS serves as a liaison between Washington, D.C. and private cosmetology schools lobbying Congress and the Department of Education to firmly protect the interests of its members. 

The 2021 Golden School Award winners and finalists are considered “schools to watch” as they blaze a path of campus culture, innovation, advocacy, and more. 

The eight categories for Golden School award consideration were:

  1. Community Involvement
  2. Facilities
  3. Marketing Innovation
  4. Legacy Alumni
  5. Placement
  6. School Culture
  7. Advocacy
  8. School of the Year

The award entries were reviewed and assessed by independent beauty and wellness professionals, providing an unbiased selection of winners and finalists. 

We are beaming with pride and encouragement that our wonderful staff and student body at Avenue Five Institute get to celebrate five Golden School Awards in the following categories: school of the year, legacy alumni, marketing innovation, placement, and school culture. 

Avenue Five Institute, Finalist: School of the Year

Our dedicated team worked, and continues to work, tirelessly to create a safe and healthy campus for our student body and staff despite the relentless persistence of the COVID-19 virus. Prior to any confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Austin area, the Avenue Five Institute leadership team leaned on close relationships with NACCAS executive director, Tony Mirando, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and the US Department of Education for guidance through this uncharted territory. As a result, we were able to stay ahead of frequent changes to the administrative rules early on, which allowed us to avoid unnecessary hardships and educational setbacks for our student body. 

We are beyond grateful and proud to reveal that our students experienced zero down-time in their transition from in-person learning to 100% remote learning. While this was no easy feat, the systems we implemented before, during, and throughout the course of this pandemic proved crucial to our success. 

After surveying students periodically throughout the remote learning process, we made the decision to partially reopen our campus after 3 months. Our primary goal was to keep our students safe while ensuring they receive the high quality education with which they are accustomed. Despite the unprecedented changes we navigated as a community of students and staff, exit scores amidst the pandemic have been the highest in history

Avenue Five Institute, Finalist: Legacy Alumni

At Avenue Five Institute, we believe in equal opportunity in pursuit of passion. We believe that community and camaraderie can affect someone’s life in extraordinary ways and a career in cosmetology, barbering, massage therapy, and esthetics can serve as a touchpoint to your community. A seemingly small touchpoint can have a ripple effect in the lives of others far beyond what we can see. 

Ernest Lopez is the perfect embodiment of our culture here at Avenue Five Institute. We encourage you to listen to his story, and let the raw power of community speak to your soul.

Avenue Five Institute, Winner: Marketing Innovation

We believe that marketing is a form of connection, and we place unparalleled value on the importance of connection here at Avenue Five Institute. We accept this “Marketing Innovation” award as a challenge for the future of our institution; we have only just begun to scratch the surface of our potential.

Despite a global pandemic, nation-wide lockdowns, a brief transition to 100% remote learning, and so much more more, Avenue Five Institute experienced meaningful growth in every tracked outcome category. In addition, we experienced record-high enrollment in 2020!

Our marketing focus over the course of the past year was four prong: create engaging video content, nurture our network on social media, develop valuable blog content for current and potential students, and maximize online reputation. 

We dedicated time and resources into developing our YouTube channel this past year. One of our initiatives was to allow students to share their growing expertise (and build their portfolio) through a series of hair and makeup video tutorials. Our students found the exercise helpful to build confidence and learn how to speak to an online audience. 

Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we introduced new branding graphics for each of our programs with a focus on capturing the personality more effectively. In addition, we revealed new photography style, messaging, and aesthetics on the Avenue Five Institute website to better represent our brand direction.  

Avenue Five Institute, Winner: Placement

Our award-winning placement strategy at Avenue Five Institute is focused on three primary goals: inspiration, preparation, and support. We believe that institutional success is determined by the success of graduates, which allows us to mold and shape our curriculum, operations, and purpose accordingly. 

Our promise at Avenue Five Institute, which is highlighted on the wall of our admissions office is this: As one of our valued students, we promise to treat you with the Ultimate respect. To make your educational and learning investment a life-changing experience that helps prepare you to succeed in your career and gain more from your life. We are committed to help you realize your fullest potential as a career professional, as a trusted teammate, and as a successful individual. 

The Avenue Five Institute advisory board consists of professionals in the beauty and wellness industries who work alongside our leadership team to enhance the curriculum to best suit career success. 

Avenue Five Institute, Winner: School Culture

At Avenue Five Institute, our mission is to create an authentic culture with self-love, acceptance, and confidence as the cornerstones. We place a major emphasis on community empowerment, encouraging our student body to create an environment of positivity.

We strive to embody our culture on a daily basis with on-campus and off campus activities including fashion shows, theme walls for social media engagement, fantasy hair competitions, and more. The Avenue Five Institute Student Council is an organization set in place to ensure our campus initiatives embody our school culture. Student Council members are volunteer students who engage in a variety of activities affecting not only our campus, but the community of Austin at large. 

A few, notable initiatives of our Student Council are:

  • Providing free meals to students affected financially by COVID-19
  • Raising transportation funds for students in need of financial assistance
  • Collaboration with the ARC Homeless Center in Austin, homeless resource centers throughout central Texas, Seton Cancer Center, and shelters for displaced young women

We love our student body! 

Begin Your Legacy, Today

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

A career in cosmetology, barbering, massage therapy, or esthetics is an opportunity to not only embrace your artistic passions, but to connect with your community, spread your roots, and affect the lives of your clientele. A career in the cosmetology arts and sciences is a way to establish your legacy

We are proud of our work here at Avenue Five Institute, and we are committed to help you achieve your fullest potential as a career professional, a teammate, and a successful individual. Explore your future at Avenue Five Institute and beyond, now. 

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