Help Sarah Sevenz Empower Through Beauty!

Who enjoys putting smiles on peoples faces? I DO! Hello, my name is Sarah Sevenz.

My whole life I have strived to make people smile, feel good and happy about themselves. From elementary school on, I have participated in, and volunteered in programs to assist people who were cognitively or physically handicapped. This work has been a joy to me. I very much enjoy putting smiles on peoples faces. I have always made an extra effort to help others, as I myself have a learning disability. I have been bullied and know how frustrating it can be not getting the support or help some folks need. I hope to continue providing help and support to others through my work as a future esthetician.

Currently I am employed at Prader Willi Homes where I work with cognitively challenged adults. I help these residents live their fullest lives as much as possible. I clearly enjoy helping people and making them feel good. I would like to improve my skills in a different aspect in life by taking the esthetics program at the Academy of Beauty Professionals in Madison.

I became quite interested in skin care about 2 years ago when I was diagnosed with Hidradenitis Suppurativa. It can be a painful and quite unsightly skin condition. When I was diagnosed my heart sank as my doctors told me it was incurable, but I also felt relief that I finally had an answer to the skin condition that had gone undiagnosed for so many years, causing me multiple problems.

I had struggled so long with this condition, as my doctors continued to tell me it was "just acne" and that I would just have to "deal" with it. However, when I was diagnosed, I felt defeated as now its not just acne any more, its a chronic inflammatory skin disease, that's incurable, and I thought "I will be ugly the rest of my life." Any bits of self-esteem I had left had faded away. I doubted if I would ever gain control of my condition. After a rigorous amount of research and many trial-and-error treatments, I finally found things I could do to improve my condition (now that I knew what it was!). Since then I have been able to improve my outbreaks and manage my HS much better! I NEVER EVER EVER want others to feel the way I did, hopeless, ugly, unworthy, and worthless, just because of their skin! I want to make a difference in helping people figure out how to heal their skin, or take care of their skin.

By taking the esthetics program, I know I will gain the knowledge and understanding needed to help others manage a variety of skin conditions appropriately, and ultimately love the skin they are in! I have worked over 20 years in customer service in a variety of ways. From driving horses, to grooming dogs, to milking cows, working in a fitness center, POS at Kohls, Assisted living at St. Coletta, worked at good will and used to volunteer at Avalon. My vast experiences have helped me to gain a repertoire of customer service skills including patience, communication and listening skills, and most importantly building relationships. I have learned how to truly work side by side within a variety of situations efficiently and effectively. I believe that all my previously learned skills will work in tandem with new knowledge gained through this program to help me improve people’s lives. My own personal struggles with a skin condition have given me great insight into the emotional effects, and mental health, that can accompany a skin condition. I am confident that through my work as an esthetician I can and will make a difference. This is my ultimate goal!

To move forward with this dream, I am in need of financial assistance. Living on my own has been financially challenging. Receiving financial assistance for this program, and daily living expenses, would help me immensely. I live about an hour away from the school I am attending. I also had to drop hours at work to be able to compensate for extra learning time due to my learning disability. I would like to thank each and every one of you for your consideration and time. It is much of an understatement to only say this is very much appreciated.

THANK YOU!!!