Kendall Barkley with one of her winning photographs
Seven students from Cleveland State Community College recently competed in the SkillsUSA Tennessee Conference at the Chattanoogan Convention Center. Kendall Barkley won gold in the photography competition and will be competing in the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference this June in Atlanta.
Ms. Barkley took dual enrollment classes at the college for two years as a homeschool student. Now, she is an Allied Health major and serves as parliamentarian for the SkillsUSA Club at Cleveland State.
Two years ago, she discovered a passion for photography and started teaching herself how to use her father’s Nikon camera and how to use Adobe Photoshop.
Her father, Chuck Barkley, teaches in the Advanced Technologies Department at the college and serves as the advisor to the SkillsUSA Club. He encouraged her to participate in the club.
Competing in her first SkillsUSA competition, Ms. Barkley submitted two photographs prior to the conference. She was also judged on photographs that she took and modified during the competition.
“The conference was fun,” said Ms. Barkley. “I was also nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect. Choosing and editing the pictures was fun. It felt good to win, but I didn’t expect it.”
SkillsUSA is a workforce development organization for students. Their mission is to empower students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members.
“SkillsUSA helps students pursue excellence in their chosen fields while competing against other students, which is really like the workforce,” said Mr. Barkley. “It gives them a sense of satisfaction to work and compete with like-minded peers, building a strong sense of camaraderie with their schoolmates.
“I am very proud of Kendall. Like all our students, I don’t want to push her, but I want her to know this opportunity is available and encourage her to participate.”