hen ten Wasilla High School students qualified for the national SkillsUSA competition this year, the celebration was immediate—but so was the challenge. Raising money for attendance—$3,000 per student—on a tight deadline seemed impossible.
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Alaska and several local businesses stepped in to make the team’s dream of competing nationally in Atlanta, Georgia, a reality.
“It was high-fives and continuous cheers,” she says of the students as they learned they placed first in numerous categories.
Student Zackary Kohler says he was excited about the prospect of competing nationally after hearing he won at the state competition in the pin design category.
“I was a new type of scared but happy for what it would bring,” Kohler says.
Student Rylee Crum attended nationals as a state delegate, representing Alaska’s student members in the SkillsUSA National House of Delegates, where the delegates discuss things such as organizational bylaws and elect national officers. Crum says she was “excited but very nervous” about competing in Atlanta.
Bella Winn, who competed in the video production category, says she didn’t have the highest expectations for her work since it was her first time submitting a video for competition. “It was very surprising to find out I had qualified for something national,” she says.
“We wouldn’t have been able to do this without Joey Crum and his support,” Lockwood says. “He reached out to a bunch of local businesses and said, ‘This is how much money we need to raise. I know these kids, and I know how much work they’ve put in.’”
The students were grateful for the donations and community support, which they say made going to nationals possible.
“Without the support from my school or the donations from AGC, I feel that it would have been a struggle to even get to state, let alone go to Georgia for nationals,” Rylee Crum says. “The support also made nationals a way better experience, filled with fun.”
Winn says the support made competing easier. “From the supplies we received to the donations me and my fellow competitors received, we were able to focus on the competition aspect so much more,” she says.
“The great donations helped us get to a big dream and goal for us students,” Kohler says. “We were scared that we couldn’t go, but AGC made everything come true for us kids. They are the reason why we got to experience a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
The support of the community has been pivotal, allowing students not only to attend nationals but also to grow as leaders and advocates within the SkillsUSA program.
“I really see that they’re taking pride in the organization, and they want other students to join,” Lockwood says.
“We pour our heart and soul as advisors into making sure that we’re building a community of the skilled workforce,” Lockwood says.
Most SkillsUSA advisors are teachers who focus on career technical education (CTE), but Lockwood teaches digital media and Jennings teaches English. Even so, as an advisor and chaperone, Jennings’ expertise has been an asset for students in many of the competition’s categories, as well as the professionalism SkillsUSA emphasizes.
“It will be so helpful for a job interview and prepared speech and things like that,” Lockwood says. “With seventy-five kids, you need that. We are their biggest cheerleaders, their biggest fans, of course. And we hold them to a high standard and keep them moving towards the deadline.”
Jennings says she’s noticed students’ passion for the program has grown since going to nationals.
“Every state was represented, and there’s chapters that have 300-plus students in them,” Jennings says. “I think that they were able to see, ‘Oh, wow, we can actually have a huge chapter and do something with it.’ There’s an interest in it, and the spreading of what happened at nationals and their accomplishments is cool to see.”
“I learned how to improve on managing my time and meeting deadlines,” he says. “It has pointed me toward going to college and doing politics, which before [the competition] I had no clue.”
Crum also loved pin trading and getting to learn about other states’ chapters.
“I had to improve my social skills, like talking to and in front of a lot of people,” she says. “SkillsUSA made me possibly consider a future in certain CTE skills after I finish college. Before SkillsUSA, I was considering college, but I had no idea what to do after.”
Winn says she also loved getting to know competitors from other states.
“I loved exploring Atlanta and interacting with competitors from other states,” she says. “I especially enjoyed talking with other people about our passions for videography and design. I know that while I’m not planning on doing anything videography-related as a career, having that experience definitely broadened my perspective in that field. It’s always good to go on side quests in life.”
For Lockwood, Jennings, and their fellow advisors, the impact of SkillsUSA goes far beyond medals. They see it as a way to build student confidence, career readiness, and community—lessons that will stay with students long after graduation.