Career Technical Education (CTE) classes are a way for students to learn about different career pathways before fully advancing into that career. At AGHS, CTE classes include Agriculture, Automotive, Public Safety, Patient Care, and many more. CTE classes can prepare students for their future career or give them insight into other career choices. However, many students are unaware that they can put the skills they learn to the test in a competition called SkillsUSA.
While AGHS has competed and won in different categories of SkillsUSA before, many students have never heard of such accomplishments.
SkillsUSA is a large competition that helps to showcase the hard work that students have put into career-based classes. There are a variety of different categories that students can compete under. At AGHS, pathways such as Public Safety and Culinary have previously competed in SkillsUSA and have done well in their respective categories. Instead of only showing what they know in the classroom, they can showcase those skills at a higher level in a more public setting.
During the 2023-2024 school year, AG placed first in the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) category. AG has competed in this category before and previous teams have also won first place. This is the third time an AG team has competed and won in the category.
Competitors included Jazmine Luis Sarabia (‘26), Kasey Contreras (‘26), and Lauren Mieloszyk (‘24). Participants tested their CSI knowledge from the Public Safety pathway, taught by Jason Stewart.
“It was pretty fun, you know, trying to come up with the crime scene, working with your teammates, and the interview process,” Sarabia said.
The different categories that are offered allow students to showcase a multitude of different and complex skills. It isn’t a simple process but it is one that students can be proud of in the end.
However, before competing, the team decided that they wouldn’t move on to the next phase of the competition. Previous teams have also been unable to go on in the competition but Stewart has expressed interest in taking a team further in the competition.
“I’ve told my director, ‘You know what? One day we’re going to nationals, so start saving your money’,” Stewart said.
Participating in SkillsUSA isn’t just a learning experience. By participating in SkillsUSA, students can enhance their college applications, showing college admissions boards that they are determined and understand the work that they are doing. Moving on in the competition to the state or national level helps students earn more than just awards.
“In automotive, if you won state, some of the trade schools might offer you partial scholarships. If you go to nationals, you can win tools, tool sets, all kinds of stuff,” Stewart said.
Students can get more out of SkillsUSA by participating in the competition, and anyone in a CTE class on campus can participate in any category they would like to.
“Some schools are really big into it. Paso [Robles High School] used to win a ton of things, but they would compete in everything,” Stewart said. “They would find out what nobody else is competing in and just compete in that. Because they’re gonna win.”
Though AG hasn’t had many groups competing in SkillsUSA for the past few years, the option is open for all students in any CTE pathway. Having more engagement in the SkillsUSA competition is an exciting way for students to learn more about their chosen field and other pathways.
