The ninth year for SkillsUSA at Kilgore High School was a big one, and it’s not over for the district’s Health Science students with members bound for their National Leadership & Skills Conference this week.
They locked up district- and state-level accolades, earning a trip to nationals in Atlanta, Georgia, alongside advisor Cheyenne Kirkpatrick – SkillsUSA Region IV Advisor of the Year. (Tune in to the event’s Friday afternoon livestream by clicking here.)
The most significant signs of progress, though, come in the practical and literal life-saving stories from community members.
Last fall, a Kilgore ISD staffer saved the life of a student who was choking – that teacher had been taught life-saving skills through KHS Health Science outreach. Likewise, a former SkillsUSA student helped a child choking at a local store. Later, an eighth grader put skills she learned the day before toward saving her 3-year-old cousin who was choking on a peppermint.
“I think, ‘How many stories are out there?'” Kirkpatrick wonders. “I know how much of a difference and an impact we’re making in this community.
“I know we’re doing lots of great things. It’s really awesome for us to be getting recognition this year.”
The week ahead is a long-sought culmination of the school year’s activities and, perhaps, a preview of good things to come in the 10th year for the KHS SkillsUSA program with more CPR, blood drives, health fairs and community outreaches ahead. The growing list of awards is icing on the cake.
In April, Kirkpatrick was named the 2026 SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year for Region IV, which includes Texas along with North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri.
It puts her in the running for National Advisor of the Year this week alongside four other standout candidates: Jasmine Blanks (Region I, Washington D.C.), Bryan Raeckelboom (Region II, South Carolina), Rebecca Erwin (Region III, West Virginia) and Jeremiah Herron (Region V, Utah).
“I think it’s a reflection of the students. The students are a reflection of leadership and hard work,” Kirkpatrick said. “I give the kids credit for everything. It is neat to be recognized and to hear people say such nice things about the hard work we’re doing. It’s uplifting for sure.”
After steadily leveling up from local competition all the way to state, students secured berths at nationals while simultaneously wrapping up some hard-earned certifications in recent weeks, such as Patient Care Technician credentials.
“It’s great for the kids for us to be state champion, for me to be State and Region IV Advisor of the Year and now in the running for National Advisor of the year,” Kirkpatrick said. “More than that, all of those are just a reflection of the great things we’re doing on our campus and in the community.”
The nationals trip runs through June 6 with Kirkpatrick’s national Advisor of the Year interview the morning of June 2.
According to SkillsUSA.org, “SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year Award honors SkillsUSA’s most dedicated career and technical education instructors. These talented instructors serve SkillsUSA advisors and embrace the SkillsUSA Framework and national programming to create career-ready graduates and opportunities for every member. States hold an Advisor of the Year competition, and the state winners advance to the regional competition. The top five regional winners are interviewed during the national conference, and a national Advisor of the Year is selected.”
The week may see the first National Advisor of the Year from Texas. Kirkpatrick’s both hopeful and humbled to be in great company on the national stage and across the Lone Star State: “There’s lots of great advisors in the state; there’s lots of great advisors in the region.”
See her Advisor of the Year biography below.
“For next year, moving into the new school is going to be awesome. All three Health Science teachers will be close to each other,” Kirkpatrick noted. “Our numbers are about to take off as far as how many students will be in the lower levels.
“We’re really going to keep growing.”
Region 4 (Texas) Advisor of the Year: Cheyenne Kirkpatrick
Cheyenne Kirkpatrick, M.Ed., MS, LAT, ATC, is the founder and lead instructor of the Health Science program at Kilgore (Texas) High School, where she is in her fifteenth year of teaching. An athletic trainer by trade, she built the program from scratch to offer Health Science Theory, Medical Terminology, Phlebotomy and Practicum in Health Science, giving students the opportunity to earn industry-based certifications in Phlebotomy, EKG, Patient Care Technician and Dental Assisting. In 2025, her SkillsUSA chapter earned the Gold Chapter of Excellence distinction and has produced multiple district officers.
Kirkpatrick’s chapter has been named Carter BloodCare’s 4A High School of the Year for five consecutive years, and she was honored as Coordinator of the Year in 2023 for her excellence in organizing campus blood drives. Her annual Health Science SkillsUSA Health Fair draws over 200 community attendees across nearly 40 booths, where students lead CPR demonstrations, AED instruction, and first aid education alongside industry partners. She was recognized as the Region 7 CTE Master Teacher in February 2026 and previously honored as both Kilgore High School Teacher of the Year and Kilgore ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year (2018–2019). She currently serves as President of the Texas Health Occupations Association (THOA), providing professional development to health science educators across the state.
Kirkpatrick holds degrees from Southern Arkansas University, Texas Woman’s University, and The University of Texas at Tyler, along with a Principal Certificate from Lamar University.
