SkillsUSA advisor for Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education, Drapondra Flagg (Photo/Karen Stokes)
By Karen Stokes
Five Milwaukee Public School students from Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education (BOSCTE) recently competed in the SkillsUSA competition, showcasing their talent, professionalism, and dedication across various career and technical disciplines.
The 52nd annual event featured more than 1,750 middle, high school, and college/post-secondary students participating in over 75 skilled and technical trades competitions.
Founded in 1973, SkillsUSA Wisconsin is a partnership of over 2,500 students, teachers, and industry professionals across more than 150 chapters, united to ensure America has a strong, competitive skilled workforce.
Ms. Flagg and students, E’Quavion Hall, Shomarion Tubbs, Cheyenne Pryor, Desmond Mann and J’Dion Vasquez (Photo/Karen Stokes)
Desmond Mann and Cheyenne Pryor, both seniors, along with sophomores J’Dion Vasquez and E’Quavion Hall, and junior Shomarion Tubbs, represented Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education.
Awards were presented on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, during the closing ceremony of the SkillsUSA Wisconsin State Leadership and Skills Conference at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison, where Shomarion Tubbs earned a Gold medal in the CO2 Dragster competition. CO2 dragsters are miniature racing cars powered by carbon dioxide cartridges.
“This changed my life a lot,” Tubbs said. ”It also taught me about leadership, creativity, and how to hone my skills. It taught me how to work with a team.”
“There are over 200-300 categories and when they compete, they are competing in skilled trades. So, it can be anything from carpentry, it can be any form of engineering, any type of landscaping, construction, any skilled trade, medical and culinary,” said BOSCTE SkillsUSA advisor, Drapondra Flagg.
The organization supports a diverse talent pipeline spanning 120 trades, technical fields, and skilled service careers—most of which are rooted in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
More than 200 corporations, trade associations, businesses, and labor unions support SkillsUSA Wisconsin.
“What makes it special for me is we’re one of the only inner-city schools that participated since the pandemic,” Flagg said. “So, we’ve been participating ‘up north’ and when I say up north, I’m talking about Fox Valley, Stout, Appleton, Madison and when we go there, we are the only Black people that are there.
Unfortunately, while competing in northern Wisconsin, the students encountered instances of racism both during the competition and even while visiting local establishments afterward.
“We’ve had a couple of instances where we had some words that were said to us that were not so nice,” Flagg said. “Knowing the leadership qualities and traits that they learned, we walked away and there was no confrontation. That teaches them perseverance and that you can’t take everything seriously. You need to have a goal in mind, and they have been faithful to follow that goal.”
The BOSCTE team is undoubtedly goal-oriented and already planning for their futures:
- Desmond Mann plans to attend Carthage College to study animation and studio arts.
- Cheyenne Pryor will attend UW-Whitewater in the fall, studying Early Childhood Education.
- J’Dion Vasquez plans to join the National Guard before pursuing a degree in Psychology or Packaging Engineering.
- E’Quavion Hall aspires to become a technical engineer.
- Shomarion Tubbs is entering an HVAC technician apprenticeship in the construction industry.
“We made it through. It hasn’t been easy,” Flagg added. “There have been budget cuts, which forced us to scale back—another life lesson. All of these students have jobs and do community service. We’ve partnered with The Salvation Army, Boys and Girls Club.”
Their accomplishments not only reflect their dedication and hard work but also help foster stronger connections within the community.