If you have ever been to Skills USA, formerly known as VICA, then you know how much preparation, excitement, and nervousness is involved. I got the opportunity in April 2017, and it changed not only my life but also my perspective.
If you go, you compete in the technical, industrial or vocational skill you are studying. I went for Crime Scene Investigations my senior year because I was taking Criminal Justice classes for college credit, but I had two friends who went as well, one for health professions and the other mechanics.
I was on a team of three, and we each had our certain jobs we were assigned and had been practicing. We were given a mock crime scene to investigate that was set up as a Valentine's Day date night gone wrong.
I had several different jobs I was responsible for. First, I had to measure each evidence piece using a reference point with reel tape using north, south, east, and west coordinates.
Second, I had to package a piece of evidence. For the life of me, I couldn't remember how to package biohazard evidence, and I didn't see any biohazard tape so I didn't reach for the "used" condom, instead, I chose a candle.
I stuck it in the evidence bag and filled it out with our neat acronym we made for our agency name which was "CMT CJ." We came up with it by combining the first initials of our first names. Also, talk about panicking your teacher when you're practicing packaging the evidence and put the evidence tape on upside down during practice. Thankfully, I didn't do that at the competition.
Last, I had to draw the crime scene diagram. I started with each piece of furniture. Then, I drew the individual pieces on and under the furniture. We only had 30 minutes to complete our tasks. I remember freaking out on the inside but keeping a calm, cool, collective outside.
I had no idea how long we had been on the scene, and I definitely didn't want to run out of time. We finished just in time due to us investigating and processing a scene. We had to wear rubber gloves, and I remember taking mine off and my fingers dripping with sweat. It was the grossest thing ever, but at the same time, I felt accomplished wearing my cop outfit, lab coat, goggles and shoe covers.
It taught me things I would never have expected.
Even though it wasn't a huge scene, I still learned from it. We were judged by several different county police agencies within our state so they knew what to look for and how to critique. I learned that you have to keep calm in even the stressful situations.
Be neat with it, don't make it look rushed because in the real world that could have costed your agency to lose a case. It also made me more passionate about my future career. Even though I am going into the Psychiatry side of things, I know some of what investigators will have to do to get me the information I need in assessing the guilty.
We ended up winning third place in the state--this being the third time my high school has taken home bronze for crime scene investigations.
In addition, the people working felony traffic stops had the honor of taking home the fifth gold medal in the past six years. Even though we didn't qualify for nationals, or win the very nice scholarship, I feel very accomplished in what I did and the effort I set forth.
It couldn't have been a better experience for me. I have great joy knowing I'll always be a state champion and third place winner in the Arkansas Skills USA competition doing something I not only love but am also passionate about, which is criminal justice.
