SkillsUSA is one of the new clubs at NBW this year. With only six members, it is one of the smallest clubs in the school. It is speculated that this is mainly because very few know about the organization.

SkillsUSA is “a structured program of citizenship, leadership, employability, technical and professional skills training,” says skillsusa.org. “SkillsUSA enhances the lives and careers of students, instructors and industry representatives as they strive to be champions at work.”

SkillsUSA is a competition that lets students travel to different cities and showcase talent in front of a judge. This can be alone or with a group depending on where the student feels comfortable. In this way, it is similar to forensics. When it comes to talents, this club features many cool options.

“There are many options from photography to team skill building to CO2 car racing,” says Abby Duncan, a freshman member of the club. It seems there is something in the club for everyone and it is a also way to spend time with friends.

There are many schools in Wisconsin that have a SkillsUSA club and many people join because it shows up well on college applications. However, this is not the only reason that people join.

Zak Bohte, freshman SkillsUSA member, says, “I joined SkillsUSA because it seemed like a great way to learn about new careers and opportunities outside of NBW.”

SkillsUSA also has many opportunities for scholarships.  Many students have gone on to get amazing careers because of their involvement with the group. In order to be eligible for scholarships a student must have all of his or her dues paid and be a member of the club. They have many scholarships including the International SkillsUSA scholarship. There are many more scholarships including the Robert Flint Student Leadership Development Scholarship, the Sharon Melton Myers Memorial Scholarship, and the SkillsUSA Alumni Merit Scholarship. Visit the SkillsUSA website for more information on scholarships.

The club also accommodates for special needs. In one of their success stories, a man named Chris Gabler, who was left crippled due to an unfortunate accident, joined the SkillsUSA competition for web design and really loved it. Gabler didn’t win the competition but did very well for himself.

SkillsUSA has something for everyone and students get to hang out with their friends, learn and improve skills they may have never discovered, and perhaps even be granted a scholarship.