Four Kofa students attend leadership institute in D.C.
Four students from Kofa High School were selected to attend the SkillsUSA national leadership training in Washington, D.C., recently.
The four Kofa students were among nearly 430 students from 29 states and Puerto Rico who were chosen for the SkillsUSA’s Washington Leadership Training Institute. The Yuma County delegation included Esmeralda Alvarado, Jacob Estrada, Meilani Ruiz and Leslie Lopez. Alvarado and Estrada are serving on the state level as SkillsUSA officers.
“You were selected because you are one of the best,” said Tim Lawrence, SkillsUSA executive director, addressing students at the onset of the conference.
The five-day Washington Leadership Training Institute is sponsored each year by SkillsUSA to provide students an opportunity to learn about Washington and the democratic process, the Yuma Union High School District said in a news release. This year’s delegations discussed the value of their education; the value of public career and technical education to their respective states; the quality of their education and training; their occupational plans; and the benefits of their participation in SkillsUSA.
The institute is a “capstone” leadership and citizenship training event to which students must apply for admission. WLTI concentrates on advanced communications skills, including sharing their personal stories with the media and elected officials.
Students met with Arizona’s U.S. senators and representatives, paid their respects at the Tomb of the Unknowns and the Pentagon 9-11 Memorial, and toured other national monuments and museums in the greater Washington area.