Features

Kimberly Petronella, SkillsUSA’s 2022 Advisor of the Year, inspires her students to integrate the SkillsUSA Framework into every aspect of their lives. We take a deeper dive into Petronella’s approach while recognizing the incredible work of each Advisor of the Year finalist.

Her more than 100,000 Instagram followers know her as “That Masonry Girl,” a proud online proponent of the skilled trades. Offline, Ashton White is no less passionate about the trade she loves and the organization — SkillsUSA — that led her to career-ready success.

SkillsUSA membership helped her grow as a leader, discover a career passion and achieve success in a field she loves. Now, she’s helping other SkillsUSA California students ignite the power of their own dreams.

Growing up, Ashley Klingberg never liked the police. After a traumatic experience made her reconsider her life choices, she applied the same discipline she had always used as a world-class athlete to her education. In the process, she changed her attitude and direction in life, a direction now pointing to a career in criminal justice.

An early glimpse of his new school sparked a fire for the skilled trades that would fuel this SkillsUSA Massachusetts student’s future, a perfect fit of technical skills, leadership skills and one cherished red jacket.