Brockton resident Michael Gallagher, a 2012 graduate of Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, received a silver medal at the annual National Leadership and Skills Conference and SkillsUSA Championships. The competition took place in Kansas City, Missouri, from June 23 - 27, 2012.
In order to qualify for the national competition, the students competed in local and state contests. The state gold medal winners advanced to the national SkillsUSA Championships.
Gallagher, who majored in Construction Technology at Southeastern, received his medal for Carpentry. He attended the event with three other students from Southeastern who also won gold medals in the state competition: Bridgette Hayward, of East Bridgewater, Christopher Glover, of Brockton, and Peter Huckins, of Norton. Hayward, who competed in the Job Interview category, also won a $1,000 scholarship from the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which went towards travel expenses to attend the convention. She was one of 50 national recipients who received the financial awards.
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit organization that prepares high school and college students for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations. It holds district, state and national competitions each year, which allows students to showcase their technical skills and leadership abilities.
This year, more than 5,500 students from every state and three territories competed in 94 different contests. All winners received medallions, and many also received tools of their trade and/or scholarships to further their careers and education. A short video about the National Leadership and Skills Conference is available online: SkillsUSA National Conference Promo.
Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School is a public 9-12 vocational high school located in Easton, Massachusetts, serving approximately 1,250 students from the city of Brockton and the towns of East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxborough, Mansfield, Norton, Sharon, Stoughton, and West Bridgewater.