Essex Tech Students Earn State SkillsUSA Honors At State Conference

DANVERS, MA — Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School students earned statewide recognition at the 2026 SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Leadership and Skills Conference, where they brought home medals, a scholarship award and a national voting delegate honor.

Thirty-six Essex Tech students attended the conference, including 26 competitors, eight state voting delegates and two competition assistants.

Students competed in 12 categories at the annual event, which brings together career and technical education students from across Massachusetts.

SkillsUSA is a national organization focused on preparing students to become workers, leaders and responsible citizens through career and technical education programs.

The state conference includes hands-on technical and leadership contests aligned with industry standards, according to the school.

Essex Tech students earned a bronze medal in Automated Manufacturing. The team included Michael Celata, Patrick Crockett and Emmett Snyder.

Angelina Craig won a gold medal in Esthetics, with Avery Howcroft serving as assistant.

Roisy Pena received the Jannine Baker Legacy Scholarship Award.

Michael Santostefano was named a National Voting Delegate.

Tina Chen, Keylianis Boria-Crespo, Taylor Kennelly, Reed Mattina, Roisy Pena, Olivia Silva and Hunter Somers earned a bronze medal in Community Volunteer Service.

"These accomplishments reflect the extraordinary talent and professionalism of our students," Superintendent Heidi Riccio said. "SkillsUSA provides students with opportunities to apply their technical knowledge in real-world settings while building leadership and career-readiness skills that will serve them long after graduation.

"Essex Tech is incredibly proud of each student who represented our school at the state conference."

Craig, a sophomore in the Cosmetology program, said the event gave her a chance to test her training and connect with other students in the field.

"Competing at SkillsUSA gave me the chance to showcase everything I've learned at Essex Tech while also meeting students from across the state who are passionate about the same career paths," Craig said. "It was an incredible experience that pushed me to grow both personally and professionally, and I’m proud to represent Essex Tech at the national level."

The conference also gave students opportunities to take part in leadership development activities, networking and state governance through the SkillsUSA voting delegate process, according to the school.