AI can’t curl hair. Beyoncé knows it. Now this Chicago school has $25,000 to prove it.

CHICAGO - Beyoncé just invested in a Chicago beauty school, and the timing could not be better for the students inside it.

Dudley Beauty College, tucked into a former police station on Chicago’s South Side, is one of 10 schools nationwide selected for the Cécred x BeyGOOD scholarship fund. Each school gets $25,000. 

This year, the fund doubled its partnerships from five schools to 10 and expanded internationally to the United Kingdom for the first time. That is $250,000 going directly to the next generation of cosmetologists, barbers, and nail techs.

"Formation"

The Cécred x BeyGOOD Fund was built around a simple idea — that professional stylists shape more than hair. They create space for people to show up as themselves. BeyGOOD describes the salon chair as sacred ground, and the fund is designed to protect the people who work behind it.

Tina Knowles, chair of the BeyGOOD Foundation board and vice chairwoman at Cécred, said the goal is to give students and salon owners the tools they need to move the industry forward.

"II HANDS II HEAVEN"

For one Dudley student, the money arrived at the exact right moment.

Deputy Director Deborah Williams described a student who was robbed on her way to pay her tuition. 

"A man came up behind her with a knife and took her wallet," Williams said. "She was one of the recipients of the scholarship. So she had the balance of her tuition paid."

School Director Betty Clawson said five students applied and all five were awarded funding. Two more recipients have since been identified.

"Schoolin’ Life"

Clawson has been running Dudley since 1993. The list of alumni speaks for itself. Michelle Obama’s esthetician and hair stylist are both Dudley graduates.

"Every time I watched them become givers, I said I want to do that as well," Clawson said.

Williams said encouragement is woven into everything they do. 

"Every once in a while they’ll fall by the wayside, but they always come back and say, ‘I remember what you all did for us,’" she said.

The school offers programs in cosmetology, barbering, nail technology, esthetics, natural hair braiding, trichology, and instructor training. And at a moment when a lot of workers are anxious about artificial intelligence, this industry keeps showing up on the list of careers AI cannot replace.

The federal government projects jobs in this field will grow 5% through 2034, faster than the national average.

Clawson put it plainly: "AI cannot curl hair."

"Start over"

New classes start the first of every month. The school offers interest-free payment plans and free consultations. Dudley’s next graduation is July 12.

For program information and tuition costs, visit dudleybeautycollegechicago.com or stop by 8501 S. Green St.