Every year, more than 500 hundred students gather at Casper College to compete in the Wyoming State SkillsUSA Championship. Competing in a wide variety of different workplace development contests, they learn skills that are applicable in their future careers.
Powell High School’s SkillsUSA chapter brought 28 competitors. Despite not winning overall, the students competed with excellence.
“I believe as a team we did very well this year,” senior and chapter president Sophie Czirr said. “Not only in competitions, although we did a great job in those, but in being respectful to the organization and having good sportsmanship to the other competitors, even if we had to swallow a disappointing loss.”
PHS lost to their toughest competitors, Lovell High School. However, PHS brought back three gold medals: sophomore LeeAnne Phillips won Prepared Speaking, junior Meisja McCrary won Job Interview, and junior Curtis Muecke won Basic Care Health Skills.
“I did not expect to win at all,” Phillips said. “It was my first time competing, and I had no clue what the judges were looking for. Luckily, whatever it was they wanted in a speech, I clearly had.”
Phillips’ speech was about the difference between success and potential. Her speech was moving and inspiring. It was moving to Phillips to hear her name called.
“Since I wasn’t expecting to win, hearing my name being called was shocking,” Phillips said. “I didn’t even process that I had qualified for nationals until after the awards ceremony ended.”
The three gold winners are going to Atlanta, GA, to compete in the National Contest in June. However, like Czirr said, winning wasn’t the only successful thing that PHS students achieved. Brooklyn Neves and Muecke were each elected into the SkillsUSA State Leadership Team, a position that Czirr already held.
“Looking back, becoming a state officer might have been one of the best decisions I ever made,” Czirr said. “Beyond the amazing group of people I met, and the relationships I built, being that involved with Skills teaches you things I never thought to learn. I’m walking out a better and more confident version of myself.”
Czirr has been a member of SkillsUSA for all 4 years of her high school career, and after high school, she plans on continuing with it by being an alumni. The dedication that the community has fostered in Czirr is something that Neves wants to achieve.
“I look forward to learning more about leadership, and I’ve been trying to find leadership experiences more in my life, and I know that this is going to truly be helpful for me personally,” Neves said. “I also look forward to learning more about how to run groups effectively and smoothly.”
Members rave about the versatility and the usefulness of SkillsUSA. There are plenty of reasons for joining, according to Phillips.
“If I could tell people something about SkillsUSA, I would make it clear that there is no shortage of different competitions to try,” Phillips said. “From welding to culinary, there is something for everyone.“
With 54 different contests, Phillips is absolutely right. However, there are other reasons for joining.
“To get someone involved in SkillsUSA, I would ask them if they feel ready to jump into the workplace,” Czirr said. “I would ask them if their high school education didn’t give them all of the experience they felt they needed to get ready, and then would offer an organization that prepares them for the workforce in the form of a friendly competition.”
