From a young age, Ben Falconer enjoyed all things automotive, a passion ignited while working with his father on small engines in their home garage in Greeley, Colo. At some point along the way, Falconer, now 23, remembers meeting one of his father’s friends who painted cars for a living, and his passion suddenly expanded…
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Design and media student Rah’Mere Williams says he didn’t choose technical education. “I would say technical education chose me.” Williams was pursing an associate degree in design at Augusta Technical College when he found himself in a tense, ultimately life-changing meeting in his advisor’s office. Sherrie Rowe, the design and media department head, quickly helped…
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nthony Mitchell says he joined SkillsUSA by “mistake.” As an outgoing building trades student at Carl Loftin Career and Technical Center in Columbia, Miss., Mitchell was more interested in having fun than joining a student organization. Darnell Ramshur, Mitchell’s instructor and a SkillsUSA advisor, saw something special in the young man. Ramshur offered to pay Mitchell’s SkillsUSA dues for the first year if Mitchell would attend a SkillsUSA barbecue. “So, I’m like, ‘Fair enough,’” Mitchell says. “If I get a chance…
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EvaMarie Downs was born to cook, and her success as a culinary arts student at Cuesta College in Paso Robles, Calif., is confirmation. While a student, Downs initially joined SkillsUSA to spend time with her friends and fellow culinary arts students as they spent long hours preparing for competitions. “Doing something together like that bonds…
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Dylan Laumbach has her sights set on an advanced degree in mechanical engineering followed by a career where she can stay connected to the hands-on machining work she loves. This 17-year-old senior from Chickasha (Okla.) High School is SkillsUSA Oklahoma’s 2019-20 college/postsecondary parliamentarian and a model student in Canadian Valley Technology Center’s precision machining program.…
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PODCAST: Interview with Glori Beaufort
One thing you can’t say about former SkillsUSA national officer Brice Harader-Pate is that she lets the grass grow under her feet. She’s always looking for new opportunities, consistently choosing to make every moment count. Harader-Pate credits a now 10-year involvement with SkillsUSA for honing her leadership and employability skills while inspiring her to become…
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Dave Curry didn’t start his career with a desire to be an educator. In fact, he wanted to be in the military until an injury ended that dream. He also considered law enforcement, so he began working in probation and parole before moving to social work. All those career paths had something in common: service…
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Crystal Wright, 36, is an example of the SkillsUSA Framework in action, that combination of personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics that helps SkillsUSA fulfill its mission to empower its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. Wright is SkillsUSA Georgia’s college/postsecondary president, a national silver medalist in practical nursing…
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Paravi Das likes to live her life amped up and ramped up. Singing, dancing, and excelling in graphic design and performance, she is the star of her own story. Like most uplifting stories, however, it hasn’t been a constant upward trajectory. There have been bumps in the road, one in particular that seemed to bring…
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