Having won the gold medal at the Skills Ontario Competition, Niagara College student Isabella Boom jetted off to Regina at the end of May to compete against Canada’s best young hairstylists.
The result? An impressive fourth place for the first-year Hairstyling student from Fonthill at Skills Canada. Boom competed in a pool of 10 competitors from trades schools across the country.
Samantha and Isabella at nationals in Regina.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Isabella,” said Instructor Samantha Dowty who coached Boom and accompanied her to Saskatchewan. “It was such an inspiring event, and she really poured her heart into it, demonstrating incredible focus and creativity.”
This is Boom’s second appearance at the national level. In 2024, she represented Notre Dame College School and achieved an impressive fourth-place finish at the competition in Quebec.
“The whole experience was so much fun,” said Boom. “Competing is one of the best experiences in the hair industry and everyone should experience it if they can.”
During the post-secondary hairstyling competition, Boom perfumed a wide range of skills including a perm, cut and style, textured updo, colour, cut and style, and scissor-over-comb haircut.
Competitors were evaluated at various checkpoints throughout the competition.
Some of the key element’s judges were looking for included work organization and management, sustainability, client care and communication, health and safety, and understanding client wishes. Judges considered creativity, technical quality, accuracy of service based on the reference photo, and overall impression of the result.
Boom said the competition was full of surprises, pushing her beyond her training with unexpected colors and cuts. During breaks, she turned to coach Dowty for guidance.
Boom’s win comes after students in NC’s Hairstyling program swept the podium at provincials. NC’s Emily Smolko of Mississauga placed second and Harmony Beaudry of Grimsby placed third.
From L to R: NC President Sean Kennedy, Hairstyling professor Samantha Dowty, Students Harmony Beaudry, Isabella Boom, Emily Smolko, and Vice-President, Academic, Fiona Allan.
When she’s not training at NC’s Teaching Salon or competing, Boom works part-time as an Apprentice at Valvano Salon Spa in St. Catharines–an opportunity that arose after the salon owner judged a regional competition she attended.
Boom is motivated to keep training and plans to take on more competitions in the future while balancing full-time work at the salon.
