by Elizabeth Reed, online & photography editor
The Roar spoke to Skills USA state officers Patrick Diaz (PD), David Holbrook (DH) and Amanda Herrera (AH) about the responsibilities and goals of their jobs and their experience at the Washington Leadership Training Institute in Washington, D.C from Sept. 20 – 24.
How did you qualify for WLTI (Washington Leadership Training Institute)?
PD: I got to go because, as a state officer of SKILLS USA Texas, we are automatically required to go on the trip. The state pays for us. Another way that you can go is by applying yourself and paying for the whole trip.
What activities did you do at the conference?
PD: In Washington, what we ended up doing most of the time — we got to meet the new national officers for Skills USA and state officers from lots of different states — we were basically just getting to know everyone and learning new ways to advocate for Skills USA.
What’s different about the conference than the Skills USA competition?
PD: This conference was more of a learning experience for everyone. We got to tour some of the different monuments and historical sites and learn more about the history of our country. We learned more about leadership and how to talk to people, so that we can advocate to congressmen. For example, I talked to [Scott] McCall’s head policy adviser and [John] Cornyn’s head assistant. We got to explain to them why a career in technical education and funding of the Carl D. Perkins Act were so important for us. Without that funding, we can’t be in the fun classes that we are [like] information technology, automotive engineering, graphic design — the list goes on and on.
What do officers do?
DH: We help guide [people] and give speeches when needed. We’re trained in public speaking somewhat. We help out where it’s needed.
What was the most memorable part of your trip?
DH: That’s hard because there was so much. We did so much every single day that it’s really ridiculous. I would have to say the Arlington memorial: there was a ceremony there that was really touching.
How was it to be able to interact with students from all over the nation?
AH: It was great. I loved it so much. I have so many friends that I still talk to actually that are all over the nation. I used to live in New York so I got to talk to people — like, “hey how is New York?’, you know? I just met people from everywhere, and it’s a little surprising to wrap your head around that [students] from all over the nation were there. I still kinda thought that it was [students from] Texas — that everybody here is from Texas, but they’re not. It’s just fun to know that I’ve got friends who are thousands of miles away from me right now.
