From left to right: Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Stéphane Sarrazin, Casselman Councillor Francyn Leblanc, Casselman Mayor Geneviève Lajoie, White Pearl College Owner Mariève Siracusa, Russell Mayor Mike Tarnowski, and Councillor Paul Groulx attend the soft opening of the White Pearl College of Advanced Beauty and Wellness. (Gabrielle Vinette, EAP)
The White Pearl College of Advanced Beauty and Wellness welcomed local officials, community members and guests to its new Casselman facility on Friday, September 11, marking the school’s soft opening just days after classes officially began.
Located at 64 Racine Street, the college was founded by Mariève Siracusa following the closure of Algonquin College’s full-time Esthetics program. Siracusa said the goal was to continue the legacy of the program while providing accessible, high-quality esthetics education in Eastern Ontario.
Casselman Mayor Geneviève Lajoie, councillors Francyn Leblanc and Paul Groulx, Russell Township Mayor Mike Tarnowski and Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Stéphane Sarrazin were among those present for the celebration.
The college officially opened its doors to students on September 8, with theory classes beginning online. Students began coming to the facility in person the following week.
“It’s already started,” Siracusa said of the school’s first classes.
The college currently has seven students enrolled in its initial courses. Two students are taking an electrolysis course, while five students are beginning manicure and pedicure training.
However, Siracusa is already looking ahead to a much larger intake.
“We have 63 students from Prescott and Russell who registered to be online” for the program beginning in January, she said.
The college can accommodate only 24 students for that intake, meaning Siracusa plans to interview prospective students before selecting the first group. Students who are not accepted for January could be considered for a later intake.
Building a career, not just learning esthetics
For Siracusa, the college is intended to offer more than technical training.
She said she is looking for students who are serious about pursuing esthetics as a career and who may eventually want to establish their own businesses.
“Someone who is sure that this is their career choice,” she said. “Someone who is passionate about this. Someone who wants to open their business.”
Business education is therefore an important component of the college’s full-time program. Siracusa plans to teach a business course herself, drawing on her experience of launching the college.
“I want everyone to learn about building your business,” she said. “Not just aesthetics.”
Siracusa said business training was an area she felt was missing from the previous curriculum, particularly because many graduates are likely to become entrepreneurs.
Keeping experienced instructors together
Siracusa chose Casselman rather than relocating the college to a larger urban centre in part because she wanted to keep the experienced instructors who had been part of Algonquin College’s Esthetics program.
“I needed my teachers,” she said, emphasizing their experience as one of the most important elements of the new school.
The college currently has five instructors, with another five candidates having gone through an initial interview process and moving toward a second round.
The location also gives the college access to students throughout Prescott and Russell and Eastern Ontario, while remaining accessible from the surrounding region.
Siracusa said many of the students who attended the former Algonquin program came from Eastern Ontario, making Casselman a strategic location for the new institution.
An emotional milestone
The soft opening was an emotional moment for Siracusa, who said she was overwhelmed by the support she received from the community.
“I can’t believe it,” she said. “Overwhelmed with emotions, the support I got. I didn’t think this was possible.”
The college’s creation followed Algonquin College’s decision to discontinue its full-time Esthetics program. Rather than pursuing another school or simply moving on, Siracusa said she felt compelled to try to create an alternative.
“I needed to try,” she said.
Just one week after opening its doors, the college is already planning for expansion, with additional instructors being considered and a larger group of students expected in January.
For Siracusa, the early response demonstrates that there is a demand for esthetics education in the region, and that students are interested not only in learning the trade, but in building careers and businesses of their own.
