Beyonce Opens Cosmetology Center In Brooklyn

Megastar Beyonce Knowles has long been a part-time philanthropist during the downtime of a music and film career that has brought her fame and recognition all over the world. In March of last year, Beyonce was the official ribbon-cutter at a ceremony that marked the opening of The Beyonce Cosmetology Center at Phoenix House, an organization that was conceived and founded by the versatile 30-year-old and her mother.

Located in the heart of Brooklyn, the center will offer a seven month cosmetology program that will prepare students to complete the New York State Cosmetology Licensure Exam. The exam is essentially the gateway through which all potential cosmetologists in the great state of New York must go before they enter the profitable and colorful realm of hair styling and other forms of beautification.

Although the center will be open to folks from all walks of life, the student population will be former addicts that are seeking a springboard to a stable and happy life. Beyonce actually had the idea of the center all the way back in 2008 when she visited a Phoenix House while rehearsing for a movie role. She said that she immediately bonded with many of the women and felt sympathy for them in light of the fact that nobody chooses a life of dependency and addiction. Given the fact that Beyonce's mother owned and operated a salon while she was a child, the idea made perfect sense to both women, who soon teamed up to make the dream a reality.

Cosmetology is the perfect career for someone who has once lived as an addict. "The first sign of recovery is caring about your appearance," noted in a recent interview. "Hopefully this center will be a place that changes lots of lives every year."

The center's location is perfect for graduates that are looking for work in the neighborhood. New York City is known for having some of the most vibrant and skilled cosmetologists in the entire world, so even though the job market is vast, the competition is also fierce. The school doesn't aim to simply go through a checklist of lessons and requirements, but rather to give the students incredibly valuable, hands-on experience that will equate to good paying jobs and a sense of stability and purpose.

In addition to learning their way around a salon, students will also be taught real-world skills that pertain to computers and money management, amoungst other things. Beyonce is a regular at the center when her schedule allows her to be in town, but the birth of her and husband Jay-Z's first child late last year will likely curtail her social activities for awhile. Even so, the incredibly talented and beautiful performer can certainly lay her head on her pillow at night knowing that she is making a positive impact in an often crazy and uncertain world.

Visit the Phoenix House official website for more information.