TAMPA, Fla. — October may be Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Dolly Monroe Beauty Academy in Tampa found a way to raise awareness all year.

“It was inspirational to see my aunt fight her battle through breast cancer,” said Dolly Monroe, owner of the academy. “She beat it twice before.”

Dolly Monroe’s aunt, Natasha Morris, was diagnosed four-and-a-half years before she passed away.

“My aunt was a powerful woman. She inspired so many people. One thing that inspired me is the way she inspires others,” said Monroe. “That is so important to me because it turned into my entire career.”

The Natasha Morris Memorial Fund, named in her aunt’s honor, provides scholarships to help students obtain their beauty license.

“The Dolly Monroe Beauty Academy has a 98 percent graduation rate,” said Monroe. “We are an aesthetics and make up artistry program. We offer advanced training as well as entry level instruction in micro blading, lash extensions, waxing — you name it, we offer it.”

The Natasha Morris Scholarship is valued at $12,900. Recipients will receive full tuition costs and full makeup kits for the 5 to 7 week course.

“That is a part of success,” said Monroe. “You can’t grow without taking care of your community and when you do that it leads to ultimate success.”

Success she hopes to share through scholarships in her aunt’s name.

“She was a woman of beauty and power,” said Monroe. “Her standard for excellence is something I wanted to make sure I could give back and that’s what inspired us to do our scholarship in honor of my aunt, Natasha Morris and it’s a way for me to turn her life and journey into something positive to give back to our community.”

The American Breast Cancer Society estimates that 42,000 people will die of breast cancer this year.