Story by Kimberly Hsueh
Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of South Pasadena SkillsUSA
SPHS SkillsUSA participated in the Region 3 Leadership and Skill Conference, its first competition of the year, on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. The competition took place at the Pasadena City College, where students displayed their projects or participated in events that showcased their skills in areas ranging from computer programming to 3-D animation.
This year, the chapter received six gold medals, five silver medals, and one bronze medal. Students who have placed gold, silver, or bronze will advance to the state competition.
SPHS SkillsUSA President and junior Jolene Lee won gold at the regional competition for her American Spirit project, where she and teammembers Andrew Cheung and Luyang Zhang created a scrapbook highlighting South Pasadena’s community service opportunities and local activities.
Lee also recieved the chapter’s first-ever gold medal at the national competition last year and hopes to continue the chapter’s success at this year’s state competition in April.
“Everyone worked really hard to prepare for their competition whether it meant through studying, organizing different projects, working on speeches, or practicing a skilled trade,” Lee said. “A lot of our members are going to state, so we are hoping to get more people qualifying for nationals this year. It’s definitely going to require a lot of hard work and dedication, but I have faith in all the competitors.”
Qualifiers will travel to the Ontario Convention Center on Thursday, Apr. 16 and Sunday, Apr. 19 for the 53rd Annual California Leadership and Skill State Conference.
Gold
American Spirit – Andrew Cheung, Jolene Lee, Luyang Zhang
Carpentry – Henry Balding
Computer Programming – Alex Parra
Outstanding Chapter – Kimberly Hsueh, Mollie Parker, Alicia Zhang
Related Technical Math – Ethan Xie
T-Shirt Design – Talulla Chow
Silver
3-D Visualization and Animation – Maxwell Hinman
3-D Visualization and Animation – Ethan Martinez
Entrepreneurship – Ava Dunville, Joseph Broderick, Devin Pearson, Mason Whang
Graphic Imaging-Sublimation – Aaron Kim
Urban Search and Rescue – Daniel Park, Max Yee
Bronze
Interactive Application and Video Game Development –
James Duran, Kayden Hung
