From left, the SkillsUSA entrepreneur team of Yaritza Barrientos (West Noble), Brooke Truman (Wawasee), Taylor Brooks (Wawasee) and Beatrice Harlan (Fairfield) qualified for the national competition in Kansas City. (Photo by Tim Ashley)

Cosmetology students at Fairfield High School have been using their skills and talents since the start of the school year while running their SkillsUSA club and working toward completion. SkillsUSA is an organization where high school students can compete in both leadership and trade skills contests.

This year, Fairfield has three competitions the students could compete in: cosmetology, esthetics and entrepreneurship.

The entrepreneur team of Taylor Brooks and Brooke Truman, Wawasee High School; Beatrice Harlan, Fairfield; and Yaritza Barrientos, West Noble High School, were the first-place team during a competition April 20 at Walker Career Center in Indianapolis. They presented a salon business plan and will now represent Indiana at the national competition June 24-28 in Kansas City, Mo.

Fairfield held its local competition in January and a regional competition was held in February in Fort Wayne. This was the second year an entrepreneur team from Fairfield qualified for the national competition.

SkillsUSA also has community service projects and this year’s projects focused on Faith Mission in Elkhart and Hello Gorgeous, a national organization giving makeovers to women struggling through the effects of cancer and its treatment.

Angie Higginbotham and Lisa Firestone are the faculty advisors. If interested in supporting the Wawasee Area Career Center as the students move on to the national competition, call 574-831-2184.