Nicole Fennelly, a student at Questar III’s Rensselaer Educational Center inTroy, recently finished third in the contest at the SkillsUSA state competition in Syracuse. This marks the seventh year in a row that a Questar III student has finished in the top three statewide.
The SkillsUSA competition, which is judged by industry professionals, tests technical and professional skills through hands-on and written contests ranging including construction, information technology and welding.
As part of Carpenter’s Assistant competition, Fennelly had to complete several tasks including building an Adirondack chair, a birdhouse, and a yard bench, as well as framing for a concrete wall and inserting sheet rock into a metal frame.
Fennelly, who advanced to the state finals after finishing first at the regional contest held in Schenectady, said she likes to compete. “I get to meet new people and learn different things like how to use a 200-foot high aerial lift.”
She said she plans to compete in SkillsUSA next year as a senior.
As the only female in her Construction Technologies program, Fennelly is used to standing out among her peers. She was also the only female among the 20 competitors in the Carpenter’s Assistant contest.
The 17-year-old from Hoosic Valley High School has been working with her father since the third grade, making bunk beds and a playground set. “We also made a deck at our camp and now I’m helping my grandmother put cabinets in her bathroom.”
Fennelly, who plans to continue her education at SUNY Cobleskill and would like to work in interior design, encourages other females to try the construction program. “You need to work hard, but if you like to do this kind of work, then stick with it. I came to orientation and liked that they were building things like sheds,” she said.
