Three Hudson Falls students earned medals at the 2025 New York State SkillsUSA Area 3 Regional Competition on March 19, 2025.
Junior Justice Harris took first place in Baking and Pastry in the Culinary Arts category, and junior Elizabeth Pescari also placed first in Early Childhood Education in the Early Childhood category. Senior Gabe Fuller placed third in First Aid/CPR in the Health Occupations category.
SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization that partners students, educators, and industry professionals to ensure the development of a highly skilled workforce.
The competitions assess students’ proficiency in their respective fields of study, including cosmetology, HVAC-R, food preparation, carpentry, welding, first aid/CPR, and much more. Students are evaluated on essential workplace skills such as public speaking, interview techniques, and presentation abilities. Each competition involves a timed assignment, and the contests are judged by leaders from various industries.
Elizabeth, who plans to study elementary education, said the competition helped her learn to work under pressure.
“Competing in SkillsUSA pushed me to work under pressure and showed me what teaching may be like. It was a great experience that helped me meet new people and got me out of my comfort zone,” she said.
According to Gabe, being a part of SkillsUSA is beneficial regardless of outcome.
“Participating in the competition and connecting with good people was just as important to me as any award I could win,” he said. He plans to attend Utica College in the fall to be a nurse practitioner.
“We are grateful for the opportunities that our students have with WSWHE BOCES and SkillsUSA. The experiences they have had will prove invaluable for them in the future. Congratulations to all!” said Superintendent Dan Ward.
The winners of this regional competition will advance to the New York State SkillsUSA competition, which will take place from April 23 to 25, 2025, at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY.