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The 2022- 2023 SkillsUSA season has officially come to an end.

Summerland’s chapter president, Faith King, stated that the national qualifiers finished the year strong, upon their return from the National Skills and Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, at the end of June.

Although it was previously announced that recent Summerland graduate, Faith King, would qualify for a spot among the top 10 in the nation, her exact placings were not known until this past week. In the prelim rounds, King earned fifth place among all competitors. She then competed in the finalist round and nervously awaited her score.

“I had high hopes to bring home a medal for my school, as one last hoorah for my high school career. Sadly, I didn’t achieve this goal and my heart was broken that night, but I now see it as a sign of improvement,” she stated.

When scores were published, King learned where she had placed, knowing she was not among the top three. In her third national trip, she had hoped to at least place at the same level or higher than last year.

Out of a total 1,000 points, King garnered 906, earning the seventh-place spot, just as she did last year.

With this trip being her last one, King felt many emotions, but mostly pride.

“I loved being a member of this chapter and serving as the president made it even better. My officer team was composed of the best people I could ever imagine, and all of the members were a dream to work with. None of my successes would have been possible without the help of our advisors, Mr. Mike Odell and Mrs. Kendra Shrader, and my former advisor who helped start my SkillsUSA journey, Mr. Bob Evans,” she stated.

King will attend Wayne State College this fall, majoring in criminal justice and minoring in pre-law. She plans on being a part of the Rural Law Opportunities Program, Career Scholars Cooperative Program, Honors Program and the collegiate Skills- USA team.

She stated, “This organization is a large part of my life and I can’t imagine giving it up. It was not an easy decision deciding where I would like to continue my educational journey, but knowing that there was a Skills- USA team at Wayne, my love for the college was cemented.”

Nationals veteran King was joined on the trip by a team of middle schoolers. For the young students, this was their first trip to the Big Peach, and they admitted they were nervous.

King said she tried to ease the fears of the young girls and made sure they had fun on the trip.

“Many of the ladies have never been to a city the size of Atlanta, or have never been out of their Nebraska bubble. I knew that it would be eye-opening to see the sheer size of the convention center and the very different life that those in big cities live; just as it was the first time I went to nationals.”

The young team members competed for many hours throughout the week and weren’t aware of how they had placed until the awards ceremony. Team members, Sierra Thomson, Cassie Livingston and Jaelyn Shaver, had high hopes for their scores, believing the competition went well. Unfortunately, they did not earn a top-three medal. Like King, the young competitors didn’t know of their final placing until the official scores came out. Out of a total of 1,000 points, the team earned 868.5 points, garnering a fifth-place spot.

Shaver will compete as a middle-school member again next year, while Livingston and Thomson will start competing at the high school level. While the team was disappointed it did not earn a national medal, the girls hope they can continue their streak throughout their high school journey.

The last member on the qualifying team is upcoming high school senior, Yuliana Olivan. She has been on a national trip twice, and each time she has performed better than the last. Olivan said she knew that she wanted to achieve the best scores possible. In the preliminary round, the upcoming senior obtained 856.67 points out of a total 1,000. These points totaled up to a sixth-place entry, but was not enough to gain a spot in the final round.

The chapter president stated she knows Olivan will achieve great things during her final year.

“Her journey is nowhere near over.”

The final member of the trip was someone who could not attend, but King wanted to give a special shout-out for the hard work she put in.

“Carlee Livingston was supposed to join us on the trip, but sadly, she had a prior obligation that prevented her from coming. My fellow chapter officer is a positive role model and I am so proud of all she has done. I am proud to leave our chapter in her hands. Without her support, none of my achievements would have happened. Nothing would make me more proud than to have her follow in my footsteps.”

Several supporters provided monetary and physical support to the students' trip to nationals, including the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce.

"The "Summerland Advocate-Messenger" provided a pep rally, food and refreshments, games, signs and so much more to the national qualifiers.

"It means the world to the young ladies that they have a business in their corner, supporting their journey," King said.