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Rising Star Kristin Bacaycay
"I love all four of Wella's trends for 2011 - Glamazon, Lumina, Passionista, and Polaris - but Passionista really speaks to my love of red haircolor!" exclaims exclaims Kristin Bacaycay...

“I love all four of Wella’s trends for 2011 — Glamazon, Lumina, Passionista, and Polaris — but Passionista really speaks to my love of red haircolor!” exclaims exclaims Kristin Bacaycay, who took home the Gold Medal in the Student Category at the recent National Trend Vision Awards ceremony. “Instead of copying the trend, though, I worked really hard to create a Passionista style that was still my own.”

Bacaycay is a star student at Bellus Academy in Poway, California. “I had about 1200 hours under my belt when I did my winning image,” Bacaycay reveals.

“I really attribute my award to my school, which always encourages students to compete. When I heard about the Wella competition, I thought, ‘Okay, I’m ready to do this.’” After talking to Bacaycay for just a few minutes, it was apparent that this future professional’s early success was also the result of an unlimited well of self-motivation.

“I’m 26 years old and a recent college graduate,” she notes. “I thought I wanted to be a teacher, but with all the cutbacks going on in our State, teaching positions are few and far between. So I decided to pursue what I’ve always loved more than anything else—beauty. It’s a steady career that allows me to exercise so many of my creative skills and make people happy in the process.”

What is Bacaycay’s beauty specialty? “I love doing color, but I also enjoy haircutting and makeup,” she informs. “Once I graduate, I plan on working behind the chair for sure, but I’m also hoping to one day become a Wella educator. More than anything else, though, I want to have long and fruitful career in the pro-beauty industry.”

Model, Kristin Bacaycay and Fabio Sementilli, Creative Director for P&G Professional North America