TEMPLE, Texas — Two Temple High School Career and Technical Education students are extending their learning beyond the classroom by winning leadership positions in SkillsUSA. The pair also recently had the opportunity to attend that organization’s Washington Leadership Training Institute (WLTI) in Washington, D.C.
Emma Fisher and Evelin Valdez Gutierrez are the first Temple High School CTE students to win district level offices in SkillsUSA. Fisher, a junior in the metal tech manufacturing pathway, was elected SkillsUSA District 10 President and Valdez Gutierrez, a senior in the manufacturing and certified nursing assistant pathways, is the SkillsUSA District 10 Treasurer. Both students decided to run for district office at the urging of their advisor and manufacturing teacher, Richard Jackson. They had to campaign for their offices and win election, and they both say the opportunities provided through SkillsUSA are helping to supplement what they are learning in the classroom.
“Through SkillsUSA, I have been able to look people in the eye and really feel comfortable talking to them,” Fisher said. “You get to meet so many people who are there for the same purpose and everyone cares just as passionately as you do. So, the sense of community you get out of it is amazing to me. The biggest thing I have gotten out of this is the opportunity to see how other people’s lives have been affected by SkillsUSA.”
“I thought this might be something that could help open some doors for me,” Valdez Gutierrez added. “I learned that I am capable of communicating and this has helped me feel more comfortable with who I am. I would tell everyone to not worry about failing, and if you want to pursue something to just go for it.”
One door that opened for the students was the chance to attend the WTLI event with Jackson. Nearly 600 SkillsUSA members from across the country attended the event focused on professionalism, communication, and leadership skills. All three participants had the opportunity to meet with elected officials, tour Washington, D.C., and learn more about the SkillsUSA organization and themselves.
“The best part for me was seeing the light go on for both of them when they realized they could do this and what it might mean for them for the future,” Jackson said of the experience. “Being around a group like that where everyone has the same goals and interests is incredible. I wish I could say more about it, but you really just have to experience it.”
“Going to Washington is one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had,” Fisher said. “We were able to advocate for our needs and really talked about what our programs are doing for us and why they are so important for our future.”
SkillsUSA is the #1 workforce development organization for students and also offers competitions where students hone their hands-on skills against current industry standards in more than 130 occupational areas. Temple ISD students have long competed in those competitions, but now are becoming more involved with the leadership side of the organization. That is one of the main things Fisher, Valdez Gutierrez, and Jackson brought back from Washington. Fourteen Temple High School CTE students expressed interest in attending a local leadership conference held earlier this week in Hutto. All three Temple participants also earned their Statesman pin during WTLI. That required hours of professional development before the conference and was based on their performance and responses to questions during an interview conducted at the conference.
Both students are now anxious to take the lessons they have learned from the WTLI and their district leadership roles and apply it to their futures. Valdez Gutierrez is still deciding between her two pathways of manufacturing and certified nursing assistant. Fisher plans to go to on to major in mechanical engineering and minor in aerospace in college and hopes to work for NASA or SpaceX one day. Jackson and other leaders in the CTE program are also looking forward to seeing how the experience pays dividends for the department and the participants themselves.
“Everything they have talked about deals with gaining employability skills,” said Sara Bartlett, Director of CTE for Temple ISD. “They were able to learn that for themselves and then come back and model it for other students who might not have considered the opportunity before. This is giving Temple CTE and Wildcat Workforce a name on the district and state level and now with national leaders and lawmakers.”
“This program helps you with the process of learning who you are, where you want to go, and who you want to be,” Jackson added. “I am super proud of these young ladies, and I can’t wait to see them in ten years.”