South River Students Head to SkillsUSA National Competition

This post was written and reported by Kaitlyn Carr and first appeared in Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch.

The Center for Applied Technology (CAT) South will send nine county students to the SkillsUSA National Competition in Kansas City June 24-28. 

Several of the team members are from the Crofton area and attend South River High School.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry workers that educate students on workplace skills.

The competition allows students to compete as a team or individually in the specific trade they have been studying. CAT will have students competing in a variety of categories including business procedures and dental and medical assisting.

Six CAT students will compete in the business procedure part of the competition as a team. Patch caught up with some of the team members to talk about their upcoming performance.

Chelsea Saboda of Crofton will be a senior at South River next fall.

Edgewater Patch: What will your role be in the competition?
Chelsea Saboda: I am a member, so I do current and old business. So basically I organize new fundraising events.

Edgewater Patch: With the SkillsUSA competition approaching, what are you most looking forward to?
Saboda: The experience and meeting new people. I love meeting people from different states.

Edgewater Patch: How has being involved with SkillsUSA helped prepare you for your future?
Saboda: I have gained more leadership skills, so I am able to take charge and able to run a meeting.

Colin White, will be a senior at South River next fall:

Edgewater Patch: What will your role be in the competition?
Colin White: I am the chairperson for the competition. I have to make sure everything is going the way it should be going. I basically run the meeting and am in charge of the agenda.

Edgewater Patch: With the SkillsUSA competition approaching, what are you most looking forward to?
Colin:  Getting to gain some life experience because it is something new and something we have never done before. Even if we don’t place as well as we want to it is still great experience for our future.

Edgewater Patch: How has being involved with SkillsUSA helped prepare you for your future?
Colin: It’s great to put on a resume. And when you have a job and attend meetings it’s good to already know certain things about how to act in the meeting. It’s great experience.

Marlena Lewis will be a junior at South River next fall.

Edgewater Patch: What will your role be in the competition?
Marlena Lewis: Secretary. I have to keep track of everything that is going on in the meeting. I take the notes on what is going on and read the notes at the next meeting. And at the end I have to repeat the minutes to make sure they match up with what the judges have written down

Edgewater Patch: With the SkillsUSA competition approaching, what are you most looking forward to?
Lewis: I am looking forward to meeting all the different people that are going to be there. I think that will be really fun because they come from all over.

Edgewater Patch: How has being involved with SkillsUSA helped prepare you for your future?
Lewis: I have definitely learned how to run a meeting the right way and different rules for it. No matter what kind of job you have that’s a good skill

Kathleen Barkdoll will be a senior at South River next fall.

Edgewater Patch: What will your role be in the competition?
Kathleen Barkdoll: I am the treasure and I make sure the money is well spent and organized.

Edgewater Patch: With the SkillsUSA competition approaching, what are you most looking forward to?
Barkdoll: Meeting new people from the different states and territories

Edgewater Patch: How has being involved with SkillsUSA helped prepare you for your future?
Barkdoll: It helped me from speaking out loud to the public, to understanding how a meeting should be run.

South River’s Michael Moore and Broadneck’s Spencer Wade will also compete in the business procedure portion with the CAT team.

Check back for more CAT interviews.