For any athlete an injury can throw off more than just your season. For Brian Elvidge, a senior at Durango High School in Colorado, injuring his knee as a sophomore brought his athletic season to a halt. He had to have surgery and his vision for the future was dimming daily including his overall interest in school. He did the minimum required to remain eligible to stay on the football team.
Elvidge’s friend and co-president of the Durango High School SkillsUSA chapter suggested he join SkillsUSA, a national nonprofit student organization that serves students enrolled in Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) like SkillsUSA provide learners with the ability to hone their knowledge and technical skills and demonstrate them through regional, state and even national competitions. He decided to join.
“SkillsUSA got me out of a rough time and gave me hope,” said Elvidge when asked about his experience after joining his high school chapter. Durango high school is one of 13,000 school chapters in all fifty states and four U.S. territories.
Over the next two years, Elvidge also enrolled in CTE courses starting with welding. He enjoys working with his hands and believes CTE coursework could be used in the future not only as preparation for his future career but in his life.
His junior year, he decided to try another CTE course — carpentry. He was aware that there was a woodshop on campus and thought he should utilize the opportunity to gain hands on learning in carpentry, electric and plumbing right on campus. Before enrolling, he did his own research by asking his peers about the course, and finding that they spoke highly of the instructor, Shaun Smith, who also serves as the SkillsUSA advisor.
Smith has over twenty years of teaching experience and received the additional training necessary to lead a new pre-apprenticeship program. This program incorporates the Home Builders Institute PACT curriculum. One hand on experience includes constructing a life sized and livable “Mini Home.” Throughout the build, learners gain employability and real-world skills, through a meaningful work-based learning opportunity that mirrors what they would be doing in the workplace. Elvidge, along with his classmates, can graduate high school with the Home Builders Institute (HBI) Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate. To date, he has already earned the home builder association basic knowledge and safety certificate.
After his knee healed, he returned to the football field. However, he didn’t stop his participation in SkillsUSA and at his first regional competition; he placed third in a carpentry competition.
Elvidge continued to challenge himself and applied to become the SkillsUSA state officer. “It gave me something to work for and I learned about being a leader,” said Elvidge.
Now in his senior year, he is a leader on and off the football field. “I know what I want to do with my life now and I can prepare for my future,” Elvidge shared. He understands that the skills and certificates he earns now can always be used toward his future in whichever path he decides to follow.
Nicole Howard, Communications Associate
