Beauty Changes Lives Awards FIRST Recipients of The Darby Project Scholarship

The Darby Project: LGBTQIA+ Cosmetology Student Scholarship was created as a GoFundMe effort in February 2022 to honor and celebrate the life of Darby Backes. On behalf of Brian Backes, Diane Backes, Elizabeth Leary and WhiteRoom, we celebrate his legacy by establishing a scholarship in his name that is open to anyone who is identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and is accepted or currently enrolled in a cosmetology program. #thedarbyprojectLGBTQ

The first recipients of this opportunity are:

Hanna Worel

Hanna is a student at Paul Mitchell The School in Charleston, SC.

“Society has a way of making us (the LGBTQIA+ Community) feel like we are wrong and not good enough, just because of who we love. I take every opportunity to let our community know that that’s not true. They are loved and they are valid.” 

Learn more about Hanna by watching her winning video submission HERE.

Michael Johnson-Wright

Mik is a student at Paul Mitchell The School in Lexington, KY.

Mik strives to live his authentic self at all times with no apologies. In school, he was often scolded by teachers who would say “this isn’t hair school” when he would get caught helping someone with their hair. “Well guess what, I made it to the big leagues now, and no one is stopping me!”

Learn more about Mik by watching their application video HERE.