Oklahoman elected national SkillsUSA college/postsecondary president
An Oklahoman will lead the National SkillsUSA college/postsecondary division this year.
Rachel Worthen, Autry Technology Center, has been named the SkillsUSA national college/postsecondary president.
Worthen, who completed the welding program at Autry Tech and graduated from Chisholm High School in Enid in May, said she sees national office as a “platform for hope.”
“I truly believe life is built on hope,” she said. “If we stop hoping for a better tomorrow, we stop believing that change is possible. SkillsUSA gave me that hope, and because someone believed in me, I have the opportunity to believe in someone else.”
Read more on the Oklahoma CareerTech website.
Oklahoma FCCLA state adviser wins national award
Oklahoma FCCLA students weren’t the only ones honored at the National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.
Oklahoma State Adviser Brittani Phillips was named the National State Adviser of the Year. The award honors a state adviser for professional management of the state association, dedication to Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and support for the national organization and its programs.
Phillips became the FCCLA state adviser at Oklahoma CareerTech in 2020 after teaching and advising an FCCLA chapter at Putnam City North High School. She had previously served as a state adviser in Oregon and Nevada.
Read more on the Oklahoma CareerTech website.
Financial aid professionals attend national conference
Eighteen financial aid professionals from the Oklahoma CareerTech system recently attended the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
They joined more than 2,400 financial aid professionals from around the country to address ongoing regulatory updates, FAFSA simplification and the integration of artificial intelligence in financial aid administration.
Oklahoma attendees came from Oklahoma CareerTech and from 13 technology centers: High Plains, Gordon Cooper, Eastern Oklahoma County, Autry, Francis Tuttle, Canadian Valley, MetroTech, Moore Norman, Mid-Del, Pontotoc, Northeast, Meridian and Mid-America.
Audra Main, Moore Norman, was recognized with the Southwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Regional Leadership Award.
MATC to continue broadband technician program
Mid-America Technology Center will continue its broadband technician program as its American Rescue Plan Act grant concludes.
MATC used more than $700,000 from the ARPA grant to buy equipment and launch the program and has committed to fully funding the program going forward.
Twelve students completed the program last year, according to a Pauls Valley Democrat article, and seven had accepted or started jobs before the school year ended.
Read more on the Pauls Valley Democrat website.
Useful links
Follow us on X at @okcareertech and find us on Facebook at Oklahoma CareerTech and on Instagram at oklahomacareertech. Watch CareerTech videos on our YouTube channel.
For news about Oklahoma’s CareerTech System, subscribe to CareerTech communications.
State Agency Assistance at a Glance
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
OK Career Guide Training Opportunities
It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. -- Edmund Hillary
