Eager young students arrive in Phoenix, dressed head to toe for the career they aspire to fulfill. Here they are able to put their innovative skills to work, combining imagination and talent to achieve their goals.

SkillsUSA is an organization that aims to empower students and help them reach their full potential in order to become skillful workers in any field. This program offers many opportunities to test the abilities of budding pupils, including state and national competitions. Junior Nikki Galvez attended and competed in one of their Phoenix-held competitions, coming extremely close to qualifying for nationals.

Galvez, along with her fellow competitors, had to tackle a three part assessment. First, there was a written test which included multiple-choice questions regarding the printing and graphics industry. Next, they were tested on their ability to recreate a design, the most points awarded to those who had the closest matching details. To wrap up the competition, the competitors were asked to design a rack card for a Phoenix Zoo kids program, which included the task of creating a logo as well.

Though fast-paced and difficult, Galvez’s determination and hard work landed her a second place spot in state, making school history.

SkillsUSA has over 300,000 students and advisors joining annually, offering courses, competitions, and mentoring to all. With so many students joining on and competing, making it to nationals proves to be a difficult task. “We’ve never had a student go to nationals because they only take top place,” explains graphic design instructor Caryn Butler. But Galvez is the first at Perry to come this close, only eleven points from being first in state. “This is the first time we’ve had someone place that high,” explains principal Dan Serrano. “I think it just shows how the programs are producing good kids, and it will only continue.”  

Though scoring high was a highlight in her competition experience, Galvez explains that the competition is not about winning, but about creative expression: “It’s just really inspiring to see teenagers my age building and doing all this amazing stuff.”

While Galvez specifically competed in the graphic design area, SkillsUSA offers opportunities for all fields of work. “I was there with my graphic designer friends in office clothing while junior firefighters walked by with heavy ladders, or carpenters with tool belts,” Galvez said.

There are 16 career clusters, and SkillsUSA targets 14 of these. The program offers competitions for a very diverse range of careers, all the way from technology manufacturing to culinary arts where students engage in activities that test their academic, technical, and employability skills. The purpose of each competition is for the students to leave feeling more prepared for the workforce, as well as effectively challenged. There is always a lesson at the end of each event, a new skill having been acquired or refined.

The SkillsUSA competition proved to be a success for Galvez personally, but also a success to all who attended, as each individual walked out more prepared for his/her future.