ULTA awards girls with scholarships, day of pampering

July 6, 4:01 PMChicago Philanthropy ExaminerKaryn Brianne Watkins

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  Recipients with ULTA CEO, Lyn Kirby (2nd row, 4th from R). Stacie Freudnberg /AP Images for ULTA

Last year, ULTA, the largest one-stop beauty retailer, launched the ULTA Enrich, Empower & Enlighten Scholarship Fund to recognize and reward high school senior girls for their leadership and committment in their respective communities. The applicants were challenged to submit a personal essay outlining what the words “Enrich, Empower and Enlighten” meant to them. While the company received documents from many great candidates, sixteen young ladies from across the country were ultimately awarded $5,000 scholarships to the educational institution of their choice.

ULTA, a beauty retailer headquartered in Bolingbrook, IL, flew the awardees to Chicago for a luncheon at the Signature Room with ULTA President and CEO, Lyn Kirby, and an afternoon of pampering at the 18,000 square feet ULTA store and salon located on State Street. The girls received complimentary makeovers courtesy of the on-site makeup artists and hairstylists housed within the four floors of beauty.

For many of the girls, this was their first visit to Chicago, and the excitement was contagious! "I'm still in shock! I'm so honored to have this opportunity," exclaimed Leigh Anna Logsdon, a senior from Lubbock, TX.

Logsdon wasn't the only one to discuss what this opportunity meant to them. With rising education costs and the challenging economy, a $5,000 scholarship can make all the difference when it comes to starting a college career on the right foot. Along with grants from ROTC participation, Megan Whitehead, from Sandy, UT, will now have the first year of her tuition at Brigham Young University paid in full. "It's such a relief not to have to worry about that," she stated while her mother nodded in unison.

Statements like hers and several other girls reflect the true goal and purpose of the scholarship program. Kirby believes that awardees will go on to become outstanding leaders and wanted the scholarships to essentially support their endeavors and help them get to the next level.

“These young women have demonstrated exceptional commitment to giving back to their communities, and they show great promise for becoming future leaders in their chosen fields,” said Kirby. “With the ULTA Enrich, Empower & Enlighten Scholarships, we hope to bring them one step closer to reaching their dreams.”

The 2008-2009 ULTA Enrich, Empower & Enlighten Scholarship recipients are:

Alexa Del Tufo (Mooresville, NC)
Alyssa Bilyeu (Chesterfield, MO)
Aparna Ghosh (Ann Arbor, MI)
Chi Wai Tsang (Chicago, IL)
Emily Gold (Farmingdale, NY)
Emina Becirovic (Omaha, NE)
Jessica Morrison (Dunwoody, GA)
Julia Alice White (Wellington, FL)
Katherine Strelzyk (Chicago, IL)
Laura Rodriguez (Harker Heights, TX)
Leigh Anna Logsdon (Lubbock, TX)
Lily Marucci (Casa Grande, AZ)
Maria del Pilar Delgado deLeon (Fort Collins, CO)
Megan Whitehead (Sandy, UT)
Sarah Eisenberg (New Lenox, IL)
Shelby Kretz (Toledo, OH)

Next year, ULTA plans to expand the scholarship program to include more young women. The details for the 2009-2010 scholarship program will be available this month on www.ulta.com.