Samuel Allen had not planned to compete in Marine Service Technology when it came to the state SkillsUSA event, when the top students in several technology-related fields advanced to the national competition.
When the choice came, however, Allen – a Lumberton High School student studying Automotive Technology at Lamar County Center for Technology in Purvis – chose Marine Service Technology. So, when he won first place in the state, he qualified for the national competition in Louisville, Kentucky, this summer.
“My first choice was diesel, and a buddy in class got that,” he said. “I have always been interested in marine. The reason I wanted diesel because we have a boat in Bay St. Louis that has twin Detroit engines; a Detroit is a two-stroke diesel. I also like marine because it is about boats, I’ve worked on them and I am the only one who can fit in the engine room and get around the thick stuff.”
Allen, who plays catcher for the LHS Panthers, said the Bay St. Louis boat gets some steady use on the Gulf Coast.
“We mostly stay up in the bay and in the Sound,” he said. “About Cat Island is as far as we’ve been. We usually don’t fish for a specific kind of fish; we usually just go out, throw the line out and see what we can catch.”
After graduation, Allen said he hasn’t decided what he’s going to do.
“I’m not 100 percent certain,” he said. “If I can do the SkillsUSA competition and get a scholarship to MMI (Marine Mechanics Institute), I would probably do that. That would be a good start right out of school.”
Allen said he needs to study before the 54th annual June 25-29.
“I have had to do most of that (marine) research myself,” he said. “Before we are going to nationals, we might be going to Starkville to train with a guy to get me ready for nationals.”
As far as his long-term goals, Allen said he would like to travel and work on marine engines.
“Looking in the future, I would like to have my own business, maybe going up and down from East to West Coast having a business that works on marine mechanics with boats and stuff,” he said.
More than 16,000 people — including students, teachers and business partners — are expected to participate in the weeklong National Leadership and Skills Conference. Delegate sessions for middle-school, high-school and college/postsecondary students are conducted by the national officers on Tuesday. The sessions provide a platform to conduct the organization’s official business, elect student leaders and recognize state association voting delegates.
SkillsUSA University is a program of educational seminars available to all participants Wednesday-Friday. SkillsUSA TECHSPO returns to the conference as a whole new experience and is now located on the competition floor. Look for products available to purchase from SkillsUSA’s sponsors and vendors in both indoor and outdoor exhibits.
The SkillsUSA Championships will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. More than 6,000 outstanding career and technical education students – all state contest winners – will compete hands-on in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. Contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry. Leadership contestants will demonstrate skills including extemporaneous speaking and conducting meetings by parliamentary procedure. The competitions will be open to the public and free of charge.
The week caps off with the Awards Ceremony, which takes place on Friday at KEC’s Freedom Hall.
