Mid-America Technology Center is well represented in the SkillsUSA Southwest District this year. The five MATC students selected as officers are Isaiah Butler, Myles Hall, Gabriel Herring, Dale Hodge, and McKenna Largent. Butler, Herring, and Hodge are Cyber Security students, and Hall and Largent are students in the Horticulture Technician program.

These students, along with the rest of the Southwest District Officer team, will oversee the Southwest District SkillsUSA Fall Conference, which will be attended by more than 500 SkillsUSA members. This conference will be held at the Grady County Fairgrounds in Chickasha.

Butler, Hodge, and Largent recently attended District Officer Training, held at Metro Tech Technology Center, where they had the opportunity to collaborate with students in leadership positions from across the state. In addition to these students who attended the training, MATC’s Horticulture Technician teacher, Kara Murphy, took the students and played a big part in the training by assisting the District and State SkillsUSA advisers and facilitating many of the training sessions for the students.

Hodge was amazed at everything he learned in such a short time. "At District Officer training, we got to experience so much and gained lots of advice on how to lead and get our district and members more involved during conferences. I also learned you must be flexible and ready to adapt to each situation as it arises."

Butler also pointed out, "Making connections was a big deal for me. We not only worked together as a team, but were able to share our own advice, experiences, and goals with each other. It was really cool coming together with random people we didn’t know and being able to talk, listen, and have fun with each other; it encouraged us to break free from our shells and embrace a new side of ourselves."

Butler, Hall, Herring, Hodge, and Largent are diligently working with the other Southwest District Officers to ensure the upcoming Leadership Conference will be a success. They also realize the officers are responsible for taking the lead in creating the culture for the district.

They want the Southwest District to be known for having a culture of inclusion and friendliness. The officers agree when they say that we want every SkillsUSA member to know there is a place for them in the organization and will strive to ensure that all members have an equal opportunity to learn and grow to be their best selves.

The theme for SkillsUSA this year is ‘No Limits’, and Butler says, "There are ‘No Limits as to what you can accomplish in SkillsUSA this year."

MATC SkillsUSA District Officers Isaiah Butler, Norman; Myles Hall, Little Axe; Gabriel Herring, Wynnewood; McKena Largent, Lindsay; and Dale Hodge, Newcastle, are excited for the challenge ahead!