In the Fall, the SkillsUSA officers went to the SkillsUSA Maximize Fall Leadership Conference. This took place Monday, November 6th through to Tuesday the 7th, in Melbourne, Florida. 

Two of the officers could not attend the conference, so Kamilla Rivera, a sophomore in cosmetology took their place. The officers that had gone on the trip are: Carsyn Howes, Alex Trudeau, Axeleslie Guzman, Clara Dimunah, and Allison Viola.

Last school year in November of 2022, Carsyn and Allison had gone to the Fall Conference with the officers from the previous school year. 

Maximize is the SkillsUSA Florida’s annual student Fall Leadership Conference.  Students will develop adaptability/flexibility, communication, planning, organization, management, and teamwork skills during this event. The focus of the conference is to prepare students to work with their chapter to plan events and work-based learning experiences that focus on elements of the SkillsUSA Framework. Students will be divided into small groups or “Conference Chapters.” Then they will work together in committees to plan and execute a lip-sync for the annual Battle of the Chapters. 

The Advisors are invited to attend the Chapter Management Institute, which runs concurrently with Maximize. While students are learning their roles in chapter operations, advisors will work with SkillsUSA facilitators to develop a toolbox of resources to use in their chapter and classroom. The Advisors will also participate in an interactive session to help them plan, to build and sustain the SkillsUSA Chapters. From chapter meeting and officer elections to the Program of Work and Chapter Excellence Program, these sessions will guide advisors through the organization of building a comprehensive chapter with their student leaders.  

During Maximize, students can apply to be part of the Courtesy Corps Leadership Team and participate in the state conference with all expenses paid: including travel, hotel, and meals. Participation in Courtesy Corps is ideal for students new to SkillsUSA. It ensures competing, competitors who may not have qualified at the regional event, or any other student or professional member looking to experience the conference from a backstage view. 

All the information above is from the SkillsUSA website.

During this year’s conference the officers had gotten to learn more about the SkillsUSA frameworks, chapter management, Chapter of Excellence and many other things that will help the chapter at our school be better. The officers were also able to meet other students from different schools around Florida and get to work with them. They also got to vote on what the state t-shirt for Florida would be. The winner for the t-shirt design was Jerro Madriaga who is a junior in communication at our school.  

In an interview with two of the people who had gone, Kamilla said “I learned a lot and it put me in a position with others my age with the same mindset.” Carsyn said “It brought everyone together and helped provide us the opportunity on how to properly handle our chapter meetings.”