Throughout Career and Technical Education Month®, Questar III BOCES will be putting a spotlight on our students, staff, alumni, programs, partners and more.

 

Meet Capri O’Hara, the SkillsUSA advisor at the Marilyn A. Noonan School at Durham. Capri is also the Heavy Equipment Operations and Maintenance instructor in Durham, and has been with Questar III BOCES since 2021.

“I enjoy teaching CTE”, said Capri O’Hara. “We’ve built this small community here in Durham with the students that come through my class over the two-year program. The unique structure of our Questar III BOCES CTE courses not only allows for student mastery of career and technical skills, but also the important development of leadership and personal skills within our classes. My beliefs and philosophies seem to go hand in hand with the SkillsUSA mission statement, and paired with motivated students, is how I was inspired to become a SkillsUSA advisor. This is the inaugural year of our chapter here in Durham, and our students are very excited to come together as a campus to learn more about SkillsUSA and its framework skills, including personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. Student leaders hold campus wide meetings, fundraising events, community service projects and are preparing for SkillsUSA competitions this spring. The talent of my students and their excitement and passion for CTE and SkillsUSA is what inspires me every day!”

 

 

Meet Beth O’Brien and Nicole Ross, SkillsUSA co-advisors at Robert H. Gibson Technical School.

Beth and Nicole are both Consultant Teachers with Questar III BOCES and have been part of our team since 2008.

“Teaching has always been a passion of mine,” said Beth O’Brien, SkillsUSA co-advisor and Consultant Teacher at Robert H. Gibson Technical School. “From a young age, I was always the ‘kid magnet’ who played and helped younger children, so naturally I became a teacher. Over the years, I have worked with several different age groups and working with high schoolers has been my favorite. The relationships that I develop with students in the classroom have been one of a kind. I get to see and help guide this amazing transition from scholar to worker, that you would never experience in any other educational setting. It has been exciting to see students be so passionate and eager to learn more about their trade, which is partially what led me to SkillsUSA. The students here are preparing for the real world, and SkillsUSA helps develop their personal and workplace skills that will set them up for success. SkillsUSA and CTE programs provide opportunities to make those abstract discussions of soft skills into a very concrete experience. Students develop a language to help them articulate themselves in such a way that they build their confidence and ready to leave here, hitting the ground running. It’s that metamorphosis that keeps me coming back and inspires me to bring SkillsUSA and CTE into a brighter spotlight.”

“I have always wanted to be a teacher,” said Nicole Ross, SkillsUSA co-advisor and Consultant Teacher at Robert H. Gibson Technical School. “I started my Questar III career in Hudson to teach Childcare Studies, a former program that taught special education students how to care for daycare-aged children. From there, I found a home in CTE. I’ve held a few different positions within Questar, but one thing has remained consistent – my love of the job! I love working with students and connecting with them. When they come to CTE, it can be a new beginning. They meet new friends and find new ways to engage in learning. Students who may not have found success in a traditional setting often strive in CTE. SkillsUSA is like the glue that holds it all together. It encompasses all parts of CTE learning – technical, workplace and personal skills. SkillsUSA seeks to prepare the next generation of workers for the world by equipping them with the tools they need to succeed. More than just the technical skills, students are learning how to become well rounded workers through communication, teamwork, and professionalism. While we are often known for our regional and state competitions, one of my favorite parts of SkillsUSA is the community service. This is a chance for our students to share what is near and dear to their hearts and develop their own plans to serve others.”

Check back throughout the month as we update this page with additional staff spotlights from other SkillsUSA advisors. 

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