Gatesville ISD honors senior Brooke Bernquist for SkillsUSA success

Brooke Bernquist’s success in SkillsUSA gave Gatesville families a concrete example of how career and technical education can lead to a health-care job path while a student is still in high school. Gatesville ISD recognized the senior during its regular board meeting May 18 at the administration building, 311 S. Lovers Lane, in a public salute to the kind of practical training the district says it wants to showcase.

SkillsUSA describes itself as a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to build a skilled workforce, and its competitions are judged by industry to reflect the real-world skills employers expect from entry-level workers. Bernquist has been involved since her sophomore year, and her record by senior year already included first place in nursing assistant at district, second place in health occupational portfolio at district and third place in nursing assistant at state.

Her achievements reached beyond medals. Bernquist earned her CNA certification as a junior and tested for the Certified Medical Assistant exam as a senior, giving her early credentials in a field where employers across Central Texas continue to need trained workers. Temple College says its Certified Nurse Aide training makes students eligible to sit for the Texas CNA state examination, and the college’s nursing programs are geared toward health-care employment in the region.

Bernquist also built a resume that stretched outside the health sciences pathway. She took part in student council and the Peer Assistance and Leadership program, which Gatesville ISD uses to help older students mentor younger ones. During her junior year, she attended barber school and earned a certification that allowed her to work part time after school at a family-owned massage company.

Gatesville High School principal Liz Shoaf, herself a 1998 Gatesville High School graduate, called Bernquist hardworking and praised her ability to balance so many goals. Bernquist plans to attend Temple College and pursue a career in travel nursing, a next step that connects her current training to a field where certified workers remain in demand.

The May 18 meeting itself fit the district’s usual rhythm of public recognition. Gatesville ISD regular board meetings normally take place on the third Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the administration building, and the notice for the May 18 session was posted May 12 before 4:30 p.m. under the Texas Open Meetings Act. For Coryell County, Bernquist’s recognition was more than a student spotlight. It was a reminder that Gatesville ISD’s classroom pathways can carry a student from school hallways to a medical career without leaving local roots behind.