Adan Salgado grew up in Chicago, Illinois after his parents emigrated from Mexico. His father worked building maintenance and his mother was a machine operator. 

Adan’s first experience with SkillsUSA Illinois was his junior year in high school when he attended the SkillsUSA Illinois L.E.A.D. conference. The conference is a two-day employability skills development conference that helps members activate their career and leadership potential through hands-on, high-energy and motivational programming. 

Adan says the conference pushed him to put himself out there and not hold back from speaking with people. As a teen, Adan was always shy until he became comfortable with people. Being a part of the L.E.A.D. conference was a catalyst to removing that barrier. Adan also participated in the SkillsUSA Illinois State Leadership & Skills Conference during high school and college. He competed in leadership competitions, specifically Opening & Closing Ceremonies and made it to the National Leadership & Skills Conference in college. 

Adan came from an area of Chicago where his school was the only one who had a SkillsUSA Illinois chapter. L.E.A.D. and the state conference were smaller competitions in comparison to the national conference which had an even more significant impact on him. The number of career pathways competitions grew substantially at nationals, as did the number of teams participating in each competition. 

Adan appreciates his early experiences where he learned to work well with a team and problem solve to overcome challenges. These skills carried with him through his career progression, but he also discovered something else. While his original plan was to be an architecture student and work toward that career path, his experience volunteering, running workshops, and participating in the competitions as well as working with his advisor showed him his true passion was for teaching. He enjoyed learning about the career he was originally interested in, but working with students was his true desire.

Originally enrolled in drafting and design, Adan changed his major to education. From there, he obtained a degree in Technology Education and now teaches computer science. Along with his instructor role, he is also a SkillsUSA Illinois advisor having reactivated their school’s chapter that had disappeared when the previous advisor retired. Both roles allow him to take his previous experience with SkillsUSA Illinois and put that into his classroom and advisory tasks. He knows what the students need to work on to be successful in their chapter, their competitions, and ultimately their chosen careers. 

Adan believes one of the most important things about inspiring students is to take the time to build those relationships that instill trust and create a foundation of trust. Students will remember and value that. From there, their confidence and abilities will grow as they expand their experiences within the organization and take advantage of all the resources made available to them. Adan believes having been in their shoes allows him to be not only an advisor, but a mentor to his students, and not only those who are in SkillsUSA Illinois. 

When asked what makes SkillsUSA Illinois so special, Adan quickly says it is affording students the chance to apply things they are learning, and to do so outside the school building. The things students are learning are important and useful, but they will never truly see the value of their application until they can do so outside the walls. Being able to exercise the skills they’ve developed gives the students and extra edge when they then reach out to get their first positions. 

He knows what the students need to work on to be successful in their chapter, their competitions, and ultimately their chosen careers. 

To educators, Adan emphasizes the extra something SkillsUSA Illinois gives students that can be applied to all aspects of their education and beyond. The organization teaches students to be moldable, adaptable, flexible, and receive and process constructive criticism and instruction. Students will be better able to make decisions on the fly when needed and aren’t rattled as easily, resulting in a level head and better decision making. This proactive nature versus reactive nature enables SkillsUSA Illinois members to be a leader wherever they go.