LAURIE LASPADA, 42 years old, is happily married to her high school sweetheart and is the mother of three children. She enrolled in the Barbering program at NEW ENGLAND HAIR ACADEMY (NEHA) in September of 2003. In October of 2003, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Laurie stayed in school as long as possible but that December she had a mastectomy and could no longer attend school. She went on to daily radiation treatments for the months of Jan., Feb., and March. Then Laurie underwent chemotherapy treatments for the following 3 months. In August of 2004, she re-enrolled. The irony of being "bald" and attending a "hair" school was not lost on her. It was difficult for her to start all over again since all her friends had already graduated, but she made new friends, ignored the looks of "sympathy" and became a mentor. While at NEHA, she has won several awards including "Outstanding Freshman," "Most Improved," "Student of the Month," and of "Professionalism." During training she also underwent a lumpectomy on her other breast, but only missed one week of school. She was determined to finish school. Dealing with the side effects of treatments and medications has been difficult, but she persevered. Laurie always has a smile on her face; she's always thinking of others and always has a positive attitude. She has the best sense of humor and can bring anyone out of a bad mood. Laurie does not feel she is doing anything out of the ordinary caring for her family and meeting the demands of school all while dealing with her medical condition. Her philosophy is, "You do what you have to do and do it well or don't bother doing it at all." She is truly unique and it's been a pleasure to know her. We are honored to nominate Laurie for this award.