Angelina Rodriguez, a senior at Seward and second year student in the esthetics program at Orange-Ulster BOCES, and her State Officer team gave speeches at the SkillsUSA State Conference in late April impacting over 3,080 people both in person and watching online.

 

Students competing in the conference showcase a talent and Rodriguez’s was showcasing leadership and being adaptable. She ran activities with SkillsUSA historian Charlie Stidd, from the Southern Adirondack Education Center, during a delegate session and throughout the day encouraged nervous participants, lead people around and served as a role model for new officers. Despite challenges that arose, Rodriguez and her team received positive feedback from competitors, delegates and advisers.

“Giving speeches to thousands of people isn’t easy, but SkillsUSA is more than that,” Rodriguez said. “There were a lot of unknowns as things changed at the last minute, so adapting to the constant changes, although challenging at times, was essential to my growth personally and as a leader.”

Rodriguez noted that representing both Florida and BOCES is a responsibility that she did not take lightly and is proud to have made the strong bonds she did during her tenure as a State Officer/Parliamentarian. She hopes to visit the State Competition again during college to support the organization.

“It’s an incredible opportunity and honor to represent my school on the state level as I built connections with people from around New York,” Rodriguez said. “I’m very grateful to those who helped me get to where I am now.”

For students interested in joining SkillsUSA, Rodriguez recommends that they step out of their comfort zone to grow and always look for ways to improve themselves.

“If I never made attempts to grow and change I’d be stuck,” Rodriguez said. “I hated public speaking and giving speeches to 100 people scared me, but now, I’m filled with confidence giving speeches to over 3,080 people and it’s like second nature to me.”