Southeastern student gets silver at national conference

Samantha Cronin, a student at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, won second place at the annual National Leadership and Skills Conference and Skills USA Championships in Louisville, Kentucky on June 26. Ms. Cronin, who is a plumbing major from Stoughton, competed in the Employment Application Process competition. The event included filling out a job application, going through an on-site interview, and presenting a career portfolio.

“It was surreal. I had to compete against a lot of other kids, and I was nervous. But I started talking to the other contestants, and got to know them, and this helped to distract me. So I stayed pretty calm,” she said.

Samantha, who will be a senior at Southeastern, said she originally competed in plumbing, but she did not advance after the regional competition, so she opted to compete in the employment application process category. She said she got help from Southeastern teachers, as well as her mother, who runs a plumbing company.

“The teachers in study hall helped me with my portfolio and job application, and Ms. Weckesser (Vocational Director) helped to get me ready for interview questions. My mother helped me with how to look and present myself,” she said.

Leslie Weckesser, who attended the conference, said she is very excited that Samantha has one more year to compete.

“She is a very professional, polished young lady who goes above and beyond in any task, with full attention to detail,” she said.

Other students who attended the conference include Stevan Pina, of Stoughton, who competed in carpentry, Arlette Dervil, of Brockton, who served as a state officer and national delegate, and Taylor Mackie, of Mansfield, who made her last appearance as a national officer. Stevan, who had previously won a gold medal in the state competition, was mentored by Construction Technology teacher Roy Blanchard, who retired last school year.

Besides coming home with a medal, the Southeastern team had an “amazing trip,” Ms. Weckesser said. Mr. Blanchard, who is a history buff, won a trip to Gettysburg, Virginia at a raffle, and Taylor Mackie, who graduated last school year, won a $1,500 scholarship, in addition to many other scholarships she has won through her contribution to SkillsUSA. Arlette Dervil helped to successfully elect a Massachusetts student to be a national officer, and Stevan Pina showed great sportsmanship during his competition.

“The sportsmanship was awesome, and we had all underclassmen who competed. To have even made it to the national conference was amazing,” Ms. Weckesser said.

The SkillsUSA Championships is the national-level competition for public high school and college/postsecondary students enrolled in career and technical education programs. SkillsUSA organizes this event, and it is considered the single greatest day of industry volunteerism in America.