Three Steel Center students recently competed in the SkillsUSA state competition in Hershey.
SkillsUSA is a workforce development program that offers opportunities for learning and work experience in many fields. The Baldwin students who competed at the state level were senior Gracie Gonzalez and juniors Daytona Hissong and Tamar Conner.
To qualify for states, each had to earn first place in their category at a district competition hosted by CCAC.
Tamar Conner
Conner competed in the customer service category. Though he is pursuing baking and being a pastry chef through Steel Center, Conner has a natural knack for customer service, giving him an edge on the competition for the contest.
He went on to place fourth in states at Hershey. He is happy with his overall experience and performance.
“I had a lot of fun staying at Hershey to compete, and even though I didn’t end up placing first. I’m still glad to have the opportunity and I’m grateful for all of the people who helped me along my way,” Conner said.
He had placed first in the district competition at CCAC through his excellence in handling and assessing common customer service situations presented by judges and officials.
Conner credits that victory to his real-world experience with working in customer service. He works at Best Buy in the tech department.
“My experience with customer service and fluent speaking really showed when it came to this competition,” Conner said.
Conner had an advisor from Steel Center helping him prepare.
“Maria Inks was in my corner at all times helping me when I was worried or had questions,” Conner said.
Gracie Gonzalez
Gonzalez returned from the SkillsUSA state competition in Hershey with a second-place win and a strong sense of accomplishment.
Gonzalez competed in the skills demo category, where students demonstrate a skill tied to their trade. She chose to showcase ankle taping, something she learned through her sports medicine program at Steel Center.
While the tape work itself was important, the real focus was on how clearly and confidently she explained each step of the process.
“The competition is judged on how well I explain what I’m doing. The goal is for the judges to feel like they could do it themselves,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez earned her spot at states after placing first at districts. Since then, she practiced regularly, often going over her explanation in the car and getting hands-on practice in the athletic training room at Baldwin, where she works as a student trainer.
Although she was nervous heading into the event, being surrounded by friends helped ease her nerves.
“We had fun times and laughed a whole lot,” Gonzalez said. “I was most excited to hang out with my friends from Steel Center and other schools.”
This was Gonzalez’s first time competing in a SkillsUSA event, and her second-place finish made it even more special.
“I wanted to prove to myself and others that if you don’t try, you don’t know the outcome,” she said.
She also credited the Baldwin athletic trainers for helping her prepare and said she feels grateful to represent her program and school.
“I feel super accomplished and appreciative that my skills and knowledge allowed me to represent a school and program that holds a special place in my heart,” she said.
Daytona Hissong
Hissong took third place in SkillsUSA state competition. Her event was a prepared speech, and she had to write a five- to seven-minute long speech and deliver it without note cards or visual aids to the judges.
Hissong spent a lot of time and effort on this speech. But even going above and beyond to practice for this competition was not completely enough to ease Hissong’s nerves.
“It went very well for me, and I had a great time. I was really stressed before my speech, but once I got out there I began smiling,” Hissong said.
Hissong’s speech partially focused on an emotional appeal to the judges.
“I was able to emotionally appeal to the judges just because I talked about different experiences, and how my grandpa was a welder and how we bond over that,” Hissong said.
The competition is not just about winning, because it can open up opportunities for every student participating. It allows potential employers to see the students’ skills in different areas.
“I am looking at Rosedale Technical College, and since I placed at the state level, it opens me up to the SkillsUSA scholarship, which goes towards my tuition,” Hissong said.
She gave credit to those who helped her prepare for the competition.
“My advisors helped me out a lot, especially my HVAC teacher at Steel Center, Rick Heltion. Mrs. (Krystal) Schulte was also a major help. She helped me write my speech before the competition,” Hissong said.
