Beyoncé announces surprise $50K grant for N.J. cosmetology school

A South Jersey cosmetology school received a $50,000 award from Beyoncé’s charitable initiative, BeyGOOD.Janas Academy of Cosmetology

The director of Jana’s Cosmetology Academy in Clementon, Atiya Johnson, claims that her Camden County institution was not required to submit an application for a $50,000 grant from Beyoncé’s charitable organization, BeyGOOD.

Rather, the foundation of the mega-superstar discovered them.

Because the New Jersey beauty school is one of the few cosmetology institutions on the East Coast that offers a course on textured and Black hair, the organization selected it for its program.

Gloucester Township resident Johnson, 38, claimed, “They sought us out.” After discovering that there was not a single New York institution providing a course on textured hair, a team member suggested that they broaden their search to include Jersey.And when BeyGOOD discovered Jana’s Cosmetology Academy, which is situated in a tiny borough close to Camden with 5,400 residents, the foundation’s directors informed Johnson that they believed they had “found a diamond in the rough,” Johnson added.

Earlier this month, Beyoncé’s companies, BeyGOOD and Cécred, a haircare company, announced that five cosmetology schools in New Jersey, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles would receive grants totaling $250,000.

The foundation states that five $10,000 scholarships for students to attend Jana’s Cosmetology Academy will be supported in part by the grant money.

At Camden County’s Jana’s Cosmetology Academy, trainees are located.Janas Academy of Cosmetology

The BeyGOOD organization stated in their announcement that “hairstylists have an immense impact on the people in their chairs.” They provide a sacred area where we are free to express ourselves through our hair and show up however we choose. It is a privilege for us to give back to this wonderful community.

According to its creator, Jana’s started in 2021 as the only Black-owned and run beauty school in New Jersey.

Since then, the school has graduated over 120 students from programs including cosmetology, barbering, natural haircare, and braiding, many of them Black or from other diverse backgrounds.

In addition to its cosmetology degree, the beauty institution provides a 10-week course on braiding and natural textured hair. The nine-month training gives specific attention to natural hair, unlike other cosmetology programs that might just devote a few weeks to the expertise, according to Johnson.

Natural textured hair and braiding are the topics of a 10-week course offered by Jana’s Cosmetology Academy in Clementon.Janas Academy of Cosmetology

Following a state discrimination investigation against Gloucester County Institute of Technology, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced in October that the state’s technical schools will now guarantee that all cosmetology students are trained in “the theory and practice of styling Black and other textured hair.”

The decision was taken in response to allegations that the public vo-tech school did not require non-Black students to learn how to style textured hair and did not have enough Black mannequins.

Critics claimed that a lot of trade schools do not provide sufficient instruction in managing Black and textured hair.

“Textured hair was only around two weeks in a nine-month program when I was in cosmetology school, which was about twenty years ago,” Johnson remarked.

The academy wants to guarantee debt-free graduation for its students. But a lot of people have been unable to enroll because they are unable to pay the fees unless they work.

Johnson claims that the cost of a cosmetology curriculum can vary greatly among schools and reach up to $30,000.

She claimed that for students who had desired to attend cosmetology school but lacked the funds, the $50,000 stipend is a “life-changing” opportunity.

Anywhere in New Jersey has the option to apply for the $10,000 scholarship. The winning students will be selected in April, and applications are now being accepted.

When Beyoncé was growing up, her mother Tina Knowles worked as a hairstylist and owned a salon.

Johnson, a devotee of Beyoncé, claims that she grew up in her mother’s salon just like the Grammy-winning musician. Johnson took over the company at the age of seventeen and is still in charge of it now.

Johnson stated, “What began as ‘I don’t want my mom’s legacy to die’ evolved into a love for the cosmetology industry.”