Kentucky Empire Student a Semifinalist in MATRIX Mannequin Mania

  With nearly 10,000 contestants from across the country entered into the MATRIX Mannequin Mania competition, Empire Beauty School’s own Florence, KY, student Jessica Goon make it to the semifinals with her masquerade-inspired work of art.

  “Entering the contest was one of the best decisions I made.  I honestly thought I would not be chosen as one of the 12 semi-finalists who were picked to represent the student category in the mannequin contest,” said Goon, who is a freshman at the Kentucky school.

  Goon spent approximately seven hours on her design, coloring the hair, applying the makeup and crafting an intricately woven net, which took an hour to weave and was used to sweep over the mannequin’s eye as part of the masquerade mask.

  “To receive a call telling me ‘Congratulations’ was a most memorable moment.  I was screaming with joy.  It made me believe that anything really can happen to any one of us, as long as we put all we have into each new project,” noted Goon.

  Goon, a mother of two attended Purdue University before changing her career plans to cosmetology.  She hopes to open her own salon after graduation.

  “Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share the big moment as a future stylist.  And I hope I can inspire, as I have been inspired by many other stylists,” added Goon.