Joliet West junior earns gold at SkillsUSA state finals

Joliet West High School junior Calloway Walsh earned a gold medal at the 2025 SkillsUSA Illinois State Championships in the Prepared Speech category, becoming the first Joliet Township High School student to qualify for the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.

Calloway crafted and delivered an original five- to seven-minute speech that showcased the SkillsUSA Framework Triangle’s pillars: personal, technical and workplace skills. Her performance earned the district’s first-ever national qualifier spot.

She then placed 12th among 42 finalists from across the country and was named a national finalist at the national conference in Atlanta.