From April 1 through April 3, SkillsUSA students traveled to Corpus Christi to compete in the SkillsUSA Texas competitions.

Although many students had experience from their accomplishments at districts they still had to step up their game and train rigorously for the state level. Depending on the event— skilled competition or technical testing— students prepared themselves in different ways.

Some, like Shreyas Konana ‘18, were tested on their knowledge in a certain field. “I prepared by doing a lot of the practice tests,” Konana said. “I found and did the UIL Computer Science practice tests, and I mainly prepared myself by completing those.”

Others had to create portfolios or presentations and submit them to the judges. “I prepared by completing my employment portfolio by writing essays and receiving letters of recommendation,” Janice Oh ‘19 said.

While some students were understandably nervous, they knew their hard work would pay off in the end.

“I was terrified before I took the test,” Stephanie Andrew ‘18 said, “but as I was taking the test, I realized that it was just like the practice questions I practiced with, so it wasn’t too bad.”

Confidence in themselves helped many students keep calm and perform their finest in their competitions.

“I wasn’t too nervous or anything,” Konana said. “I knew I had nothing to lose, so I was pretty relaxed and did my best.”

When they weren’t busy studying or competing, students had plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy themselves in Corpus Christi.

“In my spare time, I went out with my friends to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner at various places. My friends and I were able to go to an aquarium, visit gift shops, go to the beach, and even watch the sunrise from the beach,” Oh said. “My favorite moment was sitting on the bench with my friends and looking out at the ocean while listening to music. It was a very peaceful moment in which I didn’t feel any stress at the time.”

The busy weekend finally culminated in an awards ceremony, in which students received medals for their excellent performance. “Now that I know how everything works at the district and state level, I know what and what not to focus on,” Andrew said. Most students, regardless of whether or not they received an award or advanced to nationals, plan on returning next year with seasoned experience under their belts.

The list of competition results can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U8V2miEFLfBYi_It0wtZYFPfXgwCZa3WT6Jb34dIsB0/edi