Gretna High School is home to many clubs and classes that prepare students for their future aspirations. SkillsUSA is an organization within GHS that aspires to do just that. SkillsUSA is a career and technical student organization that spans the entirety of the United States of America. Gretna SkillsUSA dominated the state competition the weekend of April 12 and will tackle nationals this June.
“SkillsUSA basically helps students to be career ready,” sponsor Kim Wasalaski said. “All of these people are learning a skill that is needed right now. It’s called CTE, career technology education.”
The Gretna SkillsUSA team meets every Wednesday morning in Wasalaski’s room. Wasakaski is new to sponsoring SkillsUSA this year, and she sponsors the team alongside industrial technology teacher Brandon Thoene. They took seven students to the state competition, with three of them moving on to compete at nationals.
“I like SkillsUSA because it’s a good community,” said junior Jaelyn Hastings. “It can help you get scholarships after high school, too.”
The typical SkillsUSA competition consists of both technical skills and leadership contests. A few things that students participate in within the technical sections of the competition focus on building trades (like carpentry and electrical work), health occupations, (like medical terminology and first aid), automotive technology, electrical, personal services and many other categories.
“There’s been diversity since I started,” Wasalaski said. “It’s not just industrial education anymore. Now there’s baking and cosmetology. It’s starting to broaden up.”
Not only does SkillsUSA give students some experience in the trades, it also provides leadership experiences and opportunities for some. Students who focus on the leadership section of the competition partake in competitions that test their public speaking skills, safety knowledge, job interviewing skills and abilities to lead events and groups of people.
“A typical competition for me starts early in the morning, and we go through three or four different rotations of competitions,” senior Callie Nickerson said. “Then I do an interview and some tests before I actually do my skill.”
As the school year comes to an end, the SkillsUSA team continues to prepare for their next challenge: nationals. This year, the national competition for SkillsUSA will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, from June 23 to June 27. Representing Gretna, Megan Miller, Ben Pierce, Max Simonsen and Nickerson will be put to the test on their knowledge and skills against students from all across the country.
