A SkillsUSA National Presence Continues with Cavanaugh
Adam Cavanaugh elected SkillsUSA National High School Treasurer
“Adam Cavanaugh, Massachusetts!” the announcement rang through the Kentucky Exposition Center’s Freedom Hall Arena in Louisville, Kentucky at the 54th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference as the Blackstone Valley Tech senior was elected to serve as a SkillsUSA National Officer.
As he stood on the stage, Adam was on his own personal mountaintop. He had an overwhelming feeling of pride. Pride in himself. Pride in his team. Pride in the organization itself.
“Becoming a National Officer had been a goal of mine since freshman year,” Adam said. “I remember sitting in the second BVT SkillsUSA chapter meeting and knowing I wanted to be a National Officer, but I wasn’t sure how I would get there.”
Climbing to this mountaintop wasn’t always easy for Adam. He unsuccessfully ran for an officer position in BVT’s SkillsUSA Chapter – twice. He competed in the Exploratory Project Demonstration event at the SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Leadership and Skills conference as a freshman – and didn’t make the medal podium. Refusing to let his perceived failures be the end of his SkillsUSA story, Adam decided to participate in SkillsUSA in a different way by pursuing a State Officer leadership position.
“I saw the SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Officers, and I decided I didn’t want to be just a member of the organization,” Adam said. “I wanted to be something more and to advocate for career technical education on a state and national level.”
During his sophomore year, Adam returned to the SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Leadership and Skills Conference as a State Officer candidate. After passing a written exam, completing an interview, and campaigning actively, Adam was elected by his peers to serve as a Massachusetts State Officer.
“At the first State Officer training conference, I was chosen to be the SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Treasurer,” Adam said. “It was a great opportunity for me to network with other students, political leaders, and policy makers that I wouldn’t have gotten if I was simply a member of BVT’s SkillsUSA chapter.”
As the SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Treasurer, Adam participated in fundraising activities, sold raffle tickets, read reports, talked to educational policymakers, and facilitated leadership workshops. With each new opportunity, Adam’s leadership, passion, and networking skills grew.
“People involved in SkillsUSA really liked Adam because of his strong personality and his dedication to fulfilling his promises and advocating for the members,” said David Brown, Adam’s classmate and State Officer campaign manager.
After a successful term as the SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Treasurer, Adam looked to the next step on his journey to the organization’s mountaintop and began a campaign for a SkillsUSA National Officer position. He enlisted Brown’s help, as well as 24 other delegates, and together they ran a successful State Officer reelection campaign, which is a necessary step for SkillsUSA Massachusetts members to take to reach national office.
“From the moment in which Adam walked on our campus, he has been an ambassador of quality vocational technical education,” said BVT Superintendent-Director Dr. Michael F. Fitzpatrick. “He possesses unlimited potential.”
The National Officer campaign period was a team effort between Adam, the SkillsUSA Massachusetts executive team, student delegates, and BVT students. Together, they created posters, purchased give away items, wrote and practiced speeches, prepared for interviews, and networked with other student leaders.
“It was a stressful few days campaigning for National Office because the entire SkillsUSA Massachusetts delegation was helping me and I felt like I would let everyone down if I didn’t win,” Adam said. “It was a lot of pressure, but I knew with BVT and SkillsUSA Massachusetts behind me that nothing could go wrong.”
On the final day of the conference, Adam was elected to serve as a National Officer and was later selected to be the National High School Treasurer and Chair of the Joint Executive Council. As the National High School Treasurer, Adam serves as a student leader, spokesperson, and ambassador for the SkillsUSA organization and speaks on behalf of the organization to students, instructors, and industry partners.
“Adam firmly believes that career and technical education is truly the future of not only the economy, but also the United States as a whole,” said Timothy Lawrence, Executive Director of SkillsUSA. “He is a great example of what teamwork, leadership, and technical skills can offer our country.”
As an aspiring politician, Adam knows the opportunity to network with businesses and government organizations will jump start his career and allow him to follow his passion to advocate for career technical education.
“My goal is to represent SkillsUSA to the best of my ability in my position as a National Officer and advocate for career technical education,” Adam said. “At the end of my term, I hope to have made an impact on the organization, and I hope to have grown and developed as a leader, so I can continue with this important work in my future personal and professional life.”