2008 Woodie Awards
Jack Frederick elected national president of Skills USA
Shawn Hough, Collegio Reporter
Issue date: 8/30/07 Section: Front Page
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A Pittsburg State University student has been elected president of Skills USA, a national organization.
Jack Frederick, sophomore in automotive technology, has been involved in the organization since high school in Wichita but is preparing for a challenging semester as national president and full-time student.
"PSU and Skills have created a lot of opportunity for me and I hope to give back," Frederick said. "What better way to give back than represent PSU and serve as president?"
Skills USA, formerly named VICA, is a partnership of students, teachers and industrial organizations who work to promote a skilled work force. PSU is home to 16 of nearly 286,000 student members and one of 15,000 advisers.
Frederick served as Kansas state president as a high school senior and took the gold medal at the annual national competition. He wanted to pursue office as a PSU student but would first have to work to reactivate the chapter. Once that was established, he ran for a national office.
"All candidates were given a $300 budget and we met for a conference in Kansas City over the summer," he said. "All week we participated in debates and speeches and met other members. It was pretty intense up there on the stage, but it was a great experience."
Another convention was held in Leesburg, Va., where officers were elected to positions by their peers and this was where Frederick was elected president. Frederick said the Leesburg convention also served as a national officer training session.
"In Leesburg we worked on writing and giving speeches, went through leadership training, learned the history of Skills USA, and toured the national head quarters," Frederick said.
In addition to his 18-hour course load as a student, he will have several responsibilities with Skills USA. Frederick will also be traveling to spread the word about the organization, help with conferences, and recruit business and industrial organizations.
"I've made arrangements for nearly six weeks of travel this semester for speeches, leadership training and workshops," Frederick said. "I have discussed this with my instructors and they have been very supportive. It's taken a lot of planning and preparation."
Jack Frederick, sophomore in automotive technology, has been involved in the organization since high school in Wichita but is preparing for a challenging semester as national president and full-time student.
"PSU and Skills have created a lot of opportunity for me and I hope to give back," Frederick said. "What better way to give back than represent PSU and serve as president?"
Skills USA, formerly named VICA, is a partnership of students, teachers and industrial organizations who work to promote a skilled work force. PSU is home to 16 of nearly 286,000 student members and one of 15,000 advisers.
Frederick served as Kansas state president as a high school senior and took the gold medal at the annual national competition. He wanted to pursue office as a PSU student but would first have to work to reactivate the chapter. Once that was established, he ran for a national office.
"All candidates were given a $300 budget and we met for a conference in Kansas City over the summer," he said. "All week we participated in debates and speeches and met other members. It was pretty intense up there on the stage, but it was a great experience."
Another convention was held in Leesburg, Va., where officers were elected to positions by their peers and this was where Frederick was elected president. Frederick said the Leesburg convention also served as a national officer training session.
"In Leesburg we worked on writing and giving speeches, went through leadership training, learned the history of Skills USA, and toured the national head quarters," Frederick said.
In addition to his 18-hour course load as a student, he will have several responsibilities with Skills USA. Frederick will also be traveling to spread the word about the organization, help with conferences, and recruit business and industrial organizations.
"I've made arrangements for nearly six weeks of travel this semester for speeches, leadership training and workshops," Frederick said. "I have discussed this with my instructors and they have been very supportive. It's taken a lot of planning and preparation."
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