Tec Voc students go for gold at Skills Canada

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/06/2018 (2715 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On April 12, 48 Tec Voc High School students competed at the 21st annual Skills Manitoba provincial competition.

Five of those students won gold in their respective contest areas: Ivanna Sanderson (job search); Jasmine Perez (architectural technology and design); Eh Htee Soe (precision machining); and Fiona David and Jack Nai (graphic design).

All five of them travelled to the the 24th annual Skills Canada national competition in Edmonton, Alta., on June 4 and 5.

Ivanna Sanderson, a Grade 12 student at Tec Voc said she had mixed emotions before the competition.

“I’m really excited but I’m kinda nervous, really nervous,” she said. “When I was competing here in Manitoba, it’s like I’m competing against other people right? And going to nationals, I’m competing against other gold medalists… it’s a little nerve wracking.”

Sanderson is consistently preparing herself by doing a series of mock interviews, practising writing resumes, looking at different questions and learning how to answer them.

“I do a lot of mental preparing as well, so I have to really put myself out there and start talking to people so that I am able to be calm during the interview,” she said.

When Sanderson found out she won gold at the Manitoba competition, she couldn’t believe it.

“In that moment, everything just kind of stopped. I was in that state of shock and awe. I was so proud of myself.”

Jasmine Perez, also in Grade 12, had competed in Skills Manitoba in Grade 11 and won a bronze medal.

“After seeing that I got a medal last year, I wanted to see if I could improve, which I did and that felt very good,” she said.

Perez was nervous about Skills Canada but excited to go and to experience something new in a different city.

She said that balancing work experience and preparing for the competiton was quite challenging.

“Whenever I have the time, I meet up with Mr. (Gord) Macrae, (drafting teacher), and I catch up. I have to do a lot of self-learning on the computer,” Perez said. “Even if I win or not, I hope that this experience helps me grow as a person.”

Tec Voc vice-principal Michelle Sacco supports students attending and competing in the skills competitions.

“I think it’s a really important opportunity for students to have an opportunity to showcase their talent,” she said.

For students to attend provincials or nationals, a lot of fundraising has to be done.

Lunches are held throughout the year and raffle will also be held at the school on June 12. Prizes include: a Winnipeg Blue Bombers fire pit; two Blue Bombers hoodies; a custom air-brushed and autographed (Maurice Leggett) bar fridge; a Canon PowerShot ELPH 180 digital camera with four 16×20 framed prints; an infinity table, and a 16×20 autographed framed picture of Maurice Leggett.

Tickets are just $2 and available at Tec Voc High School.  For more information or to purchase tickets call 204-786-1401.

Brittany Clemons is a community correspondent for Tec Voc High School.