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May 3, 2019Area High School Junior Elected to Statewide Office
A Capital Region teen from Duanesburg has been elected president of a statewide organization that promotes the growth and advancement of high school students.
Aidan Enders, a Diesel Tech student at Capital Region BOCES, bested three other students from across the state to win the presidency during the New York State SkillsUSA Competition and Conference in Syracuse April 24-26.
“It was pretty cool,” said Enders amidst a series of congratulations Monday morning from his Diesel Tech classmates.
The junior – who is president of the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical School SkillsUSA Albany Chapter – said he ran for the statewide office on a platform of education and skills.
“I want all CTE kids involved in SkillsUSA. If you aren’t prepared for the workforce, you aren’t going to succeed,” Enders said.
SkillsUSA is a local, state and national professional organization teaching technical, academic and employability skills that help high school and college students pursue successful careers. Members build these skills through student-led charitable acts, leadership conferences and other activities. Students in SkillsUSA participate in hands-on competitions in various fields such as science; technology; engineering; mathematics; building construction; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
As to his first priorities as New York State president, Enders said two stand-out as important – pushing for a national precision heavy equipment operators competition and launching a statewide SkillsUSA newsletter. While there are state competitions for heavy equipment, there is no competition at the national level – even though there is a national SkillsUSA competition for most other events.
“A lot of people have come up to me and said we need the competition at the national level. I am prepared to take that request to the national level and see what needs to be done,” Enders said, noting that the region and even Capital Region BOCES has produced a number of New York State Heavy Equipment Champions, most recently in 2016 when Gene Broadwell from the Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School District won the event.
Enders said he looks forward to his term and the new adventures it will bring.
“I am interested in traveling the country and going all over with Skills, meeting new people in all of the industries and helping to advance the goals of the organization,” Enders said.
As to his future outside of high school, Enders, a volunteer firefighter, said he is debating between going to college to expand his knowledge of diesel technology or going to college to become a professional firefighter/paramedic.
“I like all the diagnostics, trying to solve a problem, and I like the hands on work – you are always up and moving and working, you aren’t just sitting down,” he said of his draw to a career in a diesel shop.
