By Sammy Park
Staff Writer
Photo by Sandra Matson-Fennell
The South Pasadena High School’s SkillsUSA team competed at the National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) from June 20 to 24 in Louisville, Kentucky. Out of the thousands of students who competed, the SPHS entrepreneurship team, composed of juniors Noah Lawrence, Sebastian Chinen, Cate Latting, and Alex Fonseca, placed 2nd for business plan in the nation.
Both the entrepreneurship team and senior Michelle Han received certificates from Skillpoint Alliance for placing in the top ten of their respective competitions. Victoria Vernardi and Faith Kawakami also received a special certificate for their excellence in the Outstanding Chapter, an evaluation which assesses chapter activities that benefit their own communities. Skillpoint Alliance is an organization aimed at helping people be successful in their careers.
“[The conference] was an awesome experience. Other than the competitions, one of the most important and meaningful things I did at Kentucky was meet people from all over the country. I really hope that I will be able to attend this conference again next year,” junior Jae Jin Lee said.
SPHS sent 17 students to the national competition, a record in the amount sent from South Pasadena. The 2015-2016 SPHS SkillsUSA team also received the most accolades in its history in the competition, capping off a historic year.