Elia McKnight, Winner of the NLSC Harbor Freight Scholarship
During the National SkillsUSA Leadership Conference and Championships, one of our very own Opening and Closing Team members had the opportunity to personally thank SkillsUSA industry partners for the opportunity for the Harbor Freight Scholarship. Elia McKnight (Electrical Occupations Class of ‘23) earned $850 to help offset the cost of the trip to Atlanta with her essay which addressed the SkillsUSA Creed and how it works in her life. This scholarship helped her approach the championships with confidence, and as a result, she and her team can claim the #4 spot in the nation! Congratulations Elia on your scholarship win, and congratulations to the Opening and Closing Team on your outstanding performance.
You can read a portion of Elia’s prize-winning essay below:
The SkillsUSA creed is central to participation in SkillsUSA competitions. In your participation in your chapter and in other aspects of your life, how do you try to bring those values to life?
This year, in English class, we used Mike Rowe’s SWEAT pledge as a scaffold for our thematic lessons. Through this experience, we have come to embrace the idea that “no job is a bad job” – even if it means getting dirty. As a female studying Electrical Occupations, most of my schoolmates give me a hearty stamp of approval, equating me with a contemporary Rosie the Riveter; however, there are those outside of our community of learners who consider my career choice “strange” or “unseemly.” Thanks to the several videos of Mr. Rowe’s incredibly insightful perspectives on work and honestly life itself, I now know how to both respond and react to perhaps marginally negative acquaintances, reflecting each time on these words: SkillsUSA prepares the next generation, my generation, by emphasizing within the creed that good, hard work leads to success and that each American should consider it his or her duty to pursue a worthy life. Thanks to SkillsUSA, “the American way of life” is a truth I have come to embrace; I plan to do my best by rising to my full potential (conventional or not).
SkillsUSA empowers students to succeed through academic and hands-on training, constantly being reminded that education can be found not only through words from a book but also from tools in hand. Critical thinking and skill training developed during career and technical education and honed through experiences in SkillsUSA help me work smart and hard.
I have come to understand that, in SkillsUSA competition, fair play is the very backbone of our organization. There is no easy way out. Because of this ever-present element incorporated into SkillsUSA, competitors, advisors, and judges can rest assured that any kinks in the process are minimal or easily settled; fair play allows us to simply prepare to do our very best without distraction.
When we compete, we can be content knowing that we have done all we could do to do the best we could do – to be satisfied by our own good work. As a first-place medalist at Pennsylvania’s State competition, initially, I had prepared myself for tension between teams and schools; however, this was not the case at all. Members of my chapter were all happy for those who earned what they worked for and encouraged us to push harder. This mindset helps me push to my loftiest potential, expanded by the opportunity SkillsUSA presents, and, though my team and I saw success, and like-minded – we still identified areas of need and have been continuing to perfect our competition.
From the time I joined, I immediately noticed the positive examples set by my advisors and veteran peers; ultimately, I am encouraged to be the light in every setting and to every individual I encounter. I work daily to model a higher moral and spiritual standard, understanding that others see my successes and work to emulate the same approach. Other coaches have praised my team saying, “If we didn’t win, at least ‘they’ did because they were so kind.”, which is, in my book, definitively more important than winning.
Ultimately, words and actions count – especially when they are ingrained within the organization and embraced as a tenant in SkillsUSA, in school, at work, or in my relationships.
Thank you, Harbor Freight, for helping Elia have a phenomenal experience with SkillsUSA.
