91����ϵ��

UNM student Layla Perry poses for a portrait with her SkillsUSA medal at The University of New Mexico-Gallup campus on July 11, 2025.

Lobo places fifth at SkillsUSA nationals

Categories: Students   Faculty   Staff   Community  

---

Layla Perry's performance at championship highlights 91����ϵ��'s continued success at highest level

By Richard Reyes, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025

GALLUP, N.M. — For the third year in a row, a student representing The University of New Mexico-Gallup earned top five honors at the SkillsUSA national championship.

Student Layla Perry finished fifth in the post-secondary job interview competition during the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta in June. Perry is enrolled as a junior at UNM in Albuquerque, and she was able to represent Gallup at the championship because she still takes some courses through the branch campus.

"I do feel very confident knowing that at a national level, I was good,” Perry said. “Like my portfolio was nice, my resume was nice, my punctuality was nice, professionalism was there. So, I feel a lot more secure.”

Perry’s performance at the championship highlights 91����ϵ��’s continued success competing against the best career and technical education students in the country. 91����ϵ�� has repeatedly produced state champions who have been able to hold their own at the national level.

Perry’s performance marks the third year in a row that a student representing 91����ϵ�� has finished in the top five at nationals. Kayliegh Begay and David Moreno both . Then Begay went back-to-back with another .

This was also a special year for 91����ϵ�� at nationals because of the high level of employee participation. Not only did staff and faculty serve as advisors for local students, but they judged some of the competitions during the championship.

"I ate that up"

For the job interview competition, Perry participated in a mock interview for an entry-level position. She had to submit a portfolio, which included a cover letter, resume and references, for an imagined legal assistant position at a law firm.

"One thing that was listed in the technical standard that a lot of people probably skipped over was that you have to be told to sit," she explained. "You can’t just invite yourself to sit down. … I felt like a vampire. I can’t go in the house without being invited."

After the interview, Perry felt confident about her performance.

"I was like, 'I nailed it. I ate it up. That was so smooth. Like, I would hire me, too,'" Perry reflected. "I walked out of the interview and I went to my advisor and I was like, 'I ate that up.'"

For the uninitiated, “ate” or “ate that up” is a slang term that refers to a person performing exceptionally well.

"Over the moon"

However, Perry’s confidence soon turned to nervousness. Later that day, Perry learned she was among the top 10 finalists in her category. What should have been good news brought anxiety for Perry because it meant she had to come back for another interview the next day.

Perry said she didn’t expect a second interview and expressed doubt beforehand, comparing herself to other competitors who had more impressive resumes and more life experience.

She said the second interview was completely different with more challenging questions focusing on interpersonal subjects, and she felt like she struggled answering them.

But in the end, Perry performed better than she expected as she earned fifth place overall.

"I was really happy," she said. "I was already happy to be in the finals [top 10], so to know that I finished in fifth place, over the moon."

Going into the competition, Perry said she felt like she was still a high school kid, but after navigating the championship and performing so well, she feels more mature and confident.

"I feel way more prepared," she said. "I feel like I’m on the right track with what I want to do in the future."

Perry is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminology with a minor in political science at UNM. She also expressed interest in going to law school.

Understanding what SkillsUSA offers

The 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference ran from June 23 to June 27 and attracted more than 18,000 attendees in Atlanta.

In addition to Perry, 91����ϵ�� students Lager Slivers and LaRoy Cisco also participated in the national championship. Slivers earned 19th place in the secondary job skill demonstration open category, and Cisco earned 20th place in the secondary job skill demonstration A category.

91����ϵ�� Applied Technologies & Allied Health Sciences Division Chair Ann Jarvis, who serves as the branch campus’ SkillsUSA advisor, accompanied the team at nationals along with six other staff and faculty members.

Zollinger Library Director Markos Chavez judged the American spirit competition, Information Technologies Tech Analyst 3 Frank Sanchez judged the T-shirt design contest, and adjunct faculty member Thomas Silva judged the interview portion of the firefighting competition along with Jarvis.

Student Affairs Director Jayme McMahon, Lecturer I Ernesto Watchman and Visiting Lecturer II Casey Tom served as advisors.

“My goal for this next year is to try and get more faculty to understand what SkillsUSA offers to their students,” Jarvis said.

To learn more about the 91����ϵ�� SkillsUSA Chapter and learn how to become a member, contact Ann Jarvis at aejarvis@unm.edu.

UNM student Layla Perry adjusts her SkillsUSA medal before posing for a portrait at The University of New Mexico-Gallup campus on July 11, 2025.