Going for gold requires knowledge, dedication and tough choices

Faced with the choice to participate in commencement day ceremonies or potentially obtain a national title, an Amherst High School senior enrolled in classes at Erie 1 BOCES chose traveling to Kansas City, Mo., to seek national fame. While ultimately the first place title went to a student in Tumwater, Wash., Francisco Butera's efforts did secure him with a significant portfolio builder. Butera returned home with a bronze medal in the internetworking category as a result of his participation in the SkillsUSA national championship that closed on June 28.

"It was a lot of fun competing nationally," said Butera. "It was intense at times, but I felt prepared and enjoy knowing what I accomplished at the state and national levels."

The SkillsUSA national championship is a showcase for the best career and technical students in the nation with each contestant being a state-level gold medalist. Butera was enrolled in the Cisco II class at Erie 1 BOCES Harkness Career & Technical Center. He earned his spot at the national SkillsUSA competition in the internetworking category by placing first at the New York State SkillsUSA competition held this spring in Syracuse.

Joseph McNamara, CISCO instructor at HarknessCareer & TechnicalCenter, traveled to Kansas City with Butera. "He came out on top, overcoming the advantage some states had by working with the same students for four years as compared to our two years," said McNamara. But McNamara says he always saw great potential in Butera and was confident in his student's knowledge and training. Butera completed over 300 hours of his own time in research and preparation for this competition. Butera has been accepted to the State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNY IT) where he plans to study in the telecommunications program.

The CiscoNetworkingAcademy program offered at HarknessCareer & TechnicalCenter focuses on the principles and practice of designing, building and maintaining networks capable of supporting national and global organizations in every industry. The two-year program centers on teaching the skills needed to design and implement Internet connectivity, Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Local Area Networks (LANs) through hands-on, project-based training.

Two other Amherst High School students enrolled in classes at Erie 1 BOCES Harkness Career & Technical also traveled to Kansas City following their state-level win. Nicholas Green and Colton Miller were named 17 th in the nation for their 3-D visualization and animation project. And Kayla Wagar, also a Harkness senior from Williamsville North, placed 10th nationally for her basic health care knowledge.

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving students who are preparing for careers in skilled occupations. The organization hosts local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills. Contests begin locally and continue through the state and national levels. During the June 2008 national SkillsUSA championships, more than 5,000 students competed in 87 occupational and leadership skill areas.

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