Skills USA

         For our final volunteering event, we attended a Skills USA workforce competition located at Germanna Community College. I first heard of Skills USA from my wife, Sandra. Sandra works for Germanna and enjoyed the experience last year. Sandra asked if I wanted to be a part of it. I accepted her invitation and extended that invitation to my team, Delicious Leadership. Delicious Leadership had no idea what to expect, but, we were determined to help out any way that we could.

         Details were sketchy on what our duties would be, and mired in ambiguity. Of course we laughed about it, and decided not to let that derail the team. Our team was split into 3 groups. I was to sit upon a panel of 4 of judges and we were to judge an Extemporaneous Speech on, Leadership! The participants were given 5 minutes of prep time, and their speech was not to exceed 5 minutes. The grading rubric consisted of professional appearance, voice, opening, closing, transitioning, speech cohesiveness, and understanding.
         During the competition, two students stood out to me for different reasons. One student's speech was about his prospective career field, Cosmetology. His speech talked about gender perception and equality in the workplace. I thought that was a very mature topic for someone of his age to discuss. He was well-informed, and executed his speech almost flawlessly. He was one of the best presenters that day. The second student, spoke of her speech impediment and how Skills USA empowered her and helped turn her disability into her greatest strength. I remembered the courage, passion, and determination that resonated from her. I walked away inspired from what I had witnessed.
         I had an amazing experience from Skills USA. The greatest take-away was empowerment and courage. I will remember the feeling I had as I exited the conference room from the competition, forever. More importantly, I will remember to empower any member of a team that I am apart of. People will pleasantly surprise you and overcome any obstacle, if given the chance.