School of the Year 2023/24 - A Celebration of Educational Excellence

For over seventeen years Paul Mitchell The School Esani has been an anchor in its local community and a beacon of education excellence, having graduated hundreds of successful beauty professionals and won many awards and recognitions along the way.

School of the Year

In October 2023, Esani reached a new pinnacle of success when it was named the “School of the Year” in all of the United States by the American Association of Cosmetology Schools. So, what makes our school so special? It’s our love and passion for welcoming future professionals from all walks of life and giving them educational and life experiences that position them to be the best that they could be in the beauty industry and in life.

In addition to offering our students the comprehensive and innovative Paul Mitchell curriculum and exceptional preparation for State Board exams, at Esani we pride ourselves on providing extraordinary advanced education and experiences that set our Future Professionals apart from other beauty school graduates and position them for lasting success in the beauty industry.

As an Esani cosmetology student

Each year you will have an opportunity to participate in our elective “Study Abroad” international trip to Europe. Students who have invested in this extraordinary experience in 2023 and 2024 have enjoyed hands-on educational classes from a top European Intercoiffure educator in Bruges, Belgium and from one of the most prestigious salons in world (Salon Dessange) in Paris, France. They have also experienced the exciting OMC Hair World Cup and Global Awards in Paris. All this, while soaking in the charm, history, culture, fashion, and architectural design of two premier European destinations. We are proud to say that to the best of our knowledge this kind of extensive, immersive, and exciting educational experience is available only at Paul Mitchell The School Esani and our sister school.

As a Cosmetology Future Professional at PMTS Esani

You will also have the opportunity at no extra cost to gain specialized marketable skills in natural hair, including the very lucrative area of loc styling. To add to Paul Mitchell’s comprehensive Textured Hair curriculum, Esani has collaborated with the Natural Hair Industry Convention, eminent experts in natural hair and its intersection with dermatology. Through this collaboration and our School’s exposure and connections in Europe, a leading natural hair salon and education group in Paris, Les Ateliers Crépus, interviewed a group of our Future Professionals, graduates, and leaders, and engaged our leadership in providing guidance to help inform their natural hair education and business strategies in the European market. While recognizing that we still have far to go in our quest to become experts in natural hair education, it is still a great honor and achievement to be recognized by key players in the international natural hair industry.

Interested In An Esthetics Career?

PMTS Esani has an exceptional “School of the Year” educational experience for you as well. We are one of a handful of beauty schools to have acquired the most advanced Hydrafacial machines, allowing us to offer our Esthetics Future Professionals the highly acclaimed Hydrafacial certification, making them more marketable and expanding their income potential with the ability to perform this high priced, high demand facial treatment backed by a leading industry brand. We also give our Esthetics students the opportunity to work with a leading professional skin care brand (PCA) while still in school.

As though these advanced experiences are not enough, we are thrilled to share that Paul Mitchell The School Esani, after a rigorous application and review process, became the first and only Paul Mitchell School and one of few US schools to be granted the designation of “CIDESCO Training School”. CIDESCO is the most prestigious international qualification in the esthetics field, which will allow our students who certify to apply to work anywhere in the world. According to the CIDESCO team in Switzerland, our school came through the evaluation process with flying colors.

Not one to toot our own horn, as we celebrated our “School of the Year” win, we were humbled by the heartfelt
endorsements shared by our education collaborators:

• “I would like to welcome AACS School of the Year, Paul Mitchell The School Esani, into our CIDESCO family. This is the only Paul Mitchell school that is associated with CIDESCO International.” – Timea Vaczlavik, Global Head of
  Education, CIDESCO
• “The team at Paul Mitchell The School Esani has not only been instrumental in changing the lives of their own Future Professionals, but they have been instrumental in transforming the way our own organization supports
  hundreds of schools across the country. It is with their feedback and close collaboration that we have shaped how education is delivered to Esthetics schools nationally.” – Lisa Sternberg, Global Director of Training and Education, Hydrafacial
• “The education Paul Mitchell The School Esani gives their students is best in class. I work with schools across the country, and I have not seen the quality of education I see at Esani anywhere else.” – Danielle Schewe, Skin
  Business Development Rep, PCA Skin

At Paul Mitchell The School Esani, we are proud of our excellence in education

But what also makes us truly exceptional is the culture that underpins everything that we do and is the impetus for our vision, which is to empower our students and to change lives one Future Professional at a time. One of the best windows into who we are and what makes us “School of the Year” is the epic AACS School of the Year (SOTY) Gala that we recently hosted to celebrate our victory.

First, we used the celebration not to brag about our achievements but instead to honor all those upon whose shoulders we
rose to become School of the Year. Next, we used this special event to showcase the creative talents of our Future Professionals by having them present fashion models at the event. We also invited our entire community to celebrate with us
– from the local businesses, to our congressional and state representatives, to the Chair of the State Board of Cosmetology.

And, last but not least, true to our culture we made the evening fun for all who attended by incorporating the unique
entertainment of a world class steel pan performance along with food and drink that reflected the inclusiveness and unity of our Esani culture.

Here’s a look back at the memorable evening: https://youtu.be/p4Sx_Reg1G8
In summing up the evening and reflecting on the School’s accomplishment, Owner/Founder, Arlene Lyons, paid homage to all those who contributed to the School’s success. “We would not be here today as the recipients of this prestigious award without our incredible Esani Team and Future Professionals and the mentors who supported and guided us along the way. Far from just being a time for celebration, this is also a moment of deep gratitude to everyone who played a role along the way.”