By: Sage Morton and Maggie Lehman, SkillsUSA Chapter Reporter & Drafting Instructor at DHS
The SkillsUSA students have been very busy this year participating in Leadership Activities. Many students participated in the State Leadership Conference held on October 31st at Bismarck State College. Students attended team-building sessions to work on their career-ready practices in preparation for the workforce. They also participated in an information session with Kyle Wilcom, a very talented motivational speaker. Mr. Wilcom talked to the students about stepping outside of their comfort zone and trying something new, and the opportunities that come from those few seconds of courage. Students also participated in tours to Northern Improvement and Sanford Power, where they engaged with Human Resources personnel and talked about reasons for joining the workforce and the loyalty that comes from certain local companies. This was a very informative day for students to see how some of the benefits of leadership, time management, and self-accountability affect their future career choices.
A select few students participated in a much more intense fall leadership experience in Columbus, NE. During the valuable 5-day fall break from school, Justin Wardell, Lucas Shilman, and Nathan Smith accepted the challenge for the most intense fall leadership conference experience. They attended the Mid-America Fall Leadership Event for a full immersion “outside of their comfort zone.” They joined five other students from around the state and went from being complete strangers on a 12-hour van ride, and countless miles on the interstate, to running an entire SkillsUSA chapter year in 4 ½ days. Participants were grouped into chapters of 25 students, where most did not know each other and became friends. This jam-packed weekend included: officer campaigns, elections, committee planning, business meetings, industry tours, fundraising event, community service, leadership practices, competitions, and awards. Students who had never talked in front of a group larger than 10 were now presenting topics ranging from appropriate business attire to the importance of workplace and employability skills to an audience of 150 people. The students rocked it! Not only did they step up to the plate, but they hit a home run.
Lucas Shilman said, “this is the best leadership conference I have ever attended.” Students that attend this conference find that their personal limits are the only thing standing in their way. In the short, isolated conference format, 120 students from the midwest were able to raise over $750 in a 2-hour window of time. Their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills were challenged, and they passed. Justin Wardell was a seasoned veteran of this conference and was still challenged to engage with many of the students in attendance. He was a sought-after person at the event because he was only one of a select few that could sign off on items for students to complete the “Mid America Statemen Award.” This is one of two leadership recognition pins that can be worn on the official dress at the competition. The only other one is the Washington Leadership Statemen Award held in Washington DC, early in October.
Every eligible student has the choice to attend these leadership conferences, and those that do, set themselves in a better position for the workplace because of it. It helps them see the importance of time management, self-accountability, and teamwork. As advisors, we hit on these topics hard in the classroom, but until students can see the actual payoff, it is hard for them to see the value. SkillsUSA is an organization that helps the realization earlier.
Keep watching for what this exceptional group of students have in store for the rest of the year. We know it will be great!