This year, 60 Nurtur Aveda Institute students were selected to participate in the Professional Beauty Association’s 2026 Beacon Student Program. With this year’s class, 436 of our students have been selected for Beacon since 2005.

The PBA Beacon program gives beauty school students an opportunity to learn more about the professional side of the industry and start building connections before they graduate. Students are selected through an application process and invited to attend the annual Beacon event alongside Premiere Orlando.

This year’s Beacon program took place May 29–31 and included education from industry professionals, networking opportunities and the PBA Beacon Opportunities Fair. Students had the chance to meet representatives from professional beauty brands and learn more about the different career paths available to them after graduation.

Beacon students also received access to Premiere Orlando, where they could attend classes, see new techniques and products, and connect with professionals from throughout the beauty industry.

Another highlight of the weekend was attending the 37th annual North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA), which recognizes outstanding work from artists across the professional beauty industry.

We want to congratulate all 60 of our students who were selected for the 2026 Beacon class. Applying for opportunities like Beacon takes extra work outside of their regular school schedules, and we're glad to see so many of our students taking advantage of opportunities to learn, make connections and prepare for their careers.

We’re also proud of the history our students have built with the program. Since 2005, 436 Nurtur Aveda Institute students have been selected for PBA Beacon, and we look forward to adding many more names to that list in the years ahead.

Congratulations to the 2026 Beacon class!