Making Our Mark: Brittany

For many people, identifying the right professional path can take many years. Brittany was fortunate to find her focus early. It is one reason that she is such an inspirational role model for future generations as it makes her a young and relatable advocate for those in education who are considering their career options.

Brittany first decided to be a Graphic Designer after taking a course in Print Production in high school. It prompted her to explore the world of Graphic Communications where she discovered how much she loved taking someone’s idea and turning it into something real and tactile. She says, “Printing is more than just ink on paper, it’s an interactive experience. Sharing that with the world is extremely important to me.”

As she studied, she discovered WorldSkills competitions and went on to win gold in Graphic Communications two years in a row at the SkillsUSA Nationals. From there, she represented her country at WorldSkills Kazan 2019. Her WorldSkills experience opened unexpected doors to the world of work. She says, “When preparing to compete, I had the opportunity to train with local industry experts. At my first competition, I was offered an internship. I then went on to meet my employer through SkillsUSA, as they’ve hosted the state competition for years and helped train me for WorldSkills.”

But, as Brittany knows better than most, success often starts with a good role model. She shares, “While preparing for the WorldSkills competition, I had many mentors that inspired me to strive to be a leader in the print industry. As I continue to grow in my career, I want to be able to give back to the new students who are entering the workforce.”

In the spirit of paying it back, Brittany is now the National Technical Chair for the Graphic Communications competition in the US. She says, “My goal is to encourage young talent to find an industry they are passionate in, and to provide them with a support system like I have been lucky enough to have.”

She meets students from all over the US who are at the start of their careers. Part of her mentoring includes taking them on a tour of a printing site. They get the chance to network with industry leaders as well as seeing the high-level commercial equipment they might be working with in the future. She says, “By taking their classroom experiences and turning them into a workplace scenario, I can help them understand the printing process from start to finish. I want to create a supportive and inspiring environment where these young people are challenged to grow their technical and life skills, ready for their future work.”

She believes that career opportunities can come from surprising places and sometimes young people do not appreciate the huge opportunity that TVET can offer. She reflects, “I did not know that Print Media Technology was a career path that I could follow, but now, I love my trade and want to continue to learn new things every day”. Now, for the students she works with, Brittany only has support and encouragement. She says to them, “Never say you can’t do something. Take every opportunity you have to learn something new, and you will be amazed at where it can take you.”

Learn more about the Making Our Mark campaign and read more stories of impact.