Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School alumnus headed to WorldSkills Championship

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Bethlehem vo-tech alumnus Daniel Berrios will be the first student in the school's history to compete in the WorldSkills Championships where he will represent the United States in 2013.

The 2010 SkillsUSA cabinetmaking national gold medalist won the honor last week after a three-day WorldSkills qualifying trial competition during a woodworking and furnishing supplier convention in Las Vegas.

Berrios, 19, of Bethlehem, was tasked with building an intricate nightstand. He beat the 2011 gold medalist, Kaydee Walters, of Utah, to earn a seat on the 2013 team. Berrios is the first person named to the team that will compete in Leipzig, Germany, said Thomas W. Holdsworth, a SkillsUSA spokesman.

"He is a once in a lifetime kind of student. He is phenomenal," said Scott Ribarchik, who was Berrios' cabinetmaking instructor at the Bethlehem Area Vo-Tech School. "He had the composure of a college graduate. Never in all these competitions did you ever see him get shook up."

SkillsUSA competitions begin at the school level, where students face off to determine who will represent the school at the district competition, Ribarchik said. The district winner competes at states and the state winners then go on to nationals. National winners can earn a seat on the U.S. world team by winning a world trial, as Berrios did.

daniel berrios.JPGContributed Photo
As a sophomore, Berrios said he represented the school at the regional level and didn't fare well. But by his junior year he placed third at the state level and in 2010, his senior year, he went all the way to the national level and won.

Berrios credits his success to his classes and a summer spent working at the vo-tech building desks for the school and Colonial Intermediate Unit-20. The summer work gave him needed experience with tools and taught him some tricks, Berrios said.

Once you teach Berrios something, he never forgets it, his teacher said.

Berrios, who comes from a family of woodworkers, is pursuing a degree in computer aided design at Northampton Community College. He also is teaching the adult night cabinet making class at the vo-tech.

His interests have diverged a bit from his construction oriented family as he's developed an appreciation for furniture, he said. But his ultimate goal is to become a teacher like Ribarchik, Berrios said.

The competition has opened up the world of travel to Berrios, who had only been to Puerto Rico previously. It's also given him many networking opportunities. He's met big names like famed furniture maker Tommy MacDonald, who has his own television show.

Adjusting to the time constraints of competition and all the curious onlookers was stressful the first few times, but now Berrios said he thinks competing is fun.

"Once you get into it, the stress goes away and you focus more on your projects than anyone else," he said.

SkillsUSA tries to hold the competitions in conjunction with conventions and trade shows to give students the sort of exposure Berrios has experienced, Holdsworth said. The Association of Woodworking & Furnishing Suppliers only holds its convention every two years, which is why Berrios competed so early on for the 2013 team, he said.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2011/07/post_134.html