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First Female SkillsUSA National Champion - Scoring Mistake Almost Denies Her!  

 
 
 

Not without drama... Daira Stifel's award came 6 months after the competition - it originally went to someone else because of a typo!

 

Daria became the first female to win the gold medal in the SkillsUSA National Competition, in the field of electrical construction wiring. A chance conversation with an electrical instructor in Connecticut led to Mike being a part of a happy ending to a bizarre story.

 

Daria competed in the SkillsUSA state competition in Connecticut, and placed first out of 22 contestants to qualify for the SkillsUSA National Competition in Louisville KY. Out of the 43 contestants she was the only female competing at nationals. When the competition was over she and her school were surprised to find out that she only placed 10th in the nation since she was one of the few students to actually complete the project. After returning home her score card was sent to her through email. She immediately noticed that something that didn’t make sense to her - she scored an 8 out of 80 on device location but scored a perfect score in almost all other categories of the project. With the support of her school, Daria wrote back asking if she could have an explanation on where she went wrong. About a week later they got word that there was a mistake on her scorecard and the 8 should have been an 80. The extra 72 points then propelled her to first place, which made her the first female to ever win the electrical competition at SkillsUSA Nationals!!

 

Since Daria wasn't able to get the official recognition she deserved at nationals, Norwich Technical High School in Norwich, CT, had a special awards ceremony for her on January 4th. Mike Holt was invited to give a keynote speech to the Norwich Tech students, and he presented Daria with a gift of $5,000.

 

Mike Holt's comment: It was a privilege to be a part of this event and see Daria awarded for her great accomplishment. If you'd like to send a congratulatory message to her, please Post a Comment below and we'll be sure your messages are forwarded to her.

 

The Norwich Bulletin reported on the story, and has video of her interview. Click here.

 

 

 
 

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Comments
  • congratulations! you are an inspiration to my female students and to the males as well...

    Lucrecia B. Celocia  February 4 2017, 2:20 am EST
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  • Daria, Nice going Daria. Ive been an electrician for 43 year and have had the opportunity to work with lots of different crews over the years. I know that years ago it was very hard for some to be excepted into the trade and it seems that some had to try extra hard to not only do the job but to contend with the mentality of some of the folks on the job sites. Things have gradually changed for the better and Im excited about the future of the electrical trade. I just read a Mike Holts E-Mail on you winning and was just very excited to see that you won. Its been a long road for some in this trade or any construction trade and I comment you for your abilities and the sacrifices you have made to learn your trade. You have a lot of skills and Im sure you have overcome many challenges to get where you are now. You will be a great inspiration to anyone you come into contact with in the trade. Your a Boss. Way to go. Congratulations and I wish you the very best in the future. John Williams, Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor.

    John Williams  January 13 2017, 10:26 pm EST
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  • Great job, Best wishes on you future.

    michael swipes  January 13 2017, 5:02 pm EST
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  • I would like to offer a well deserved congratulations. Both for a winning performance and for not being afraid to follow up and asking for an explanation for the score. WELL DONE!!!!

    Larry rown  January 12 2017, 5:39 pm EST
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  • Congrats Daria. Well deserved and I am sure earned. Sometimes getting the award in front of the hometown crowd is better. I finally had my first female in my CTE class last year and also toppled the males beliefs by kicking their butts in the mock-ups.

    Daniel Schaeffer  January 12 2017, 8:36 am EST
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  • Congratulations Daria!

    Tom Granado  January 12 2017, 7:04 am EST
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  • Good on ya girl.....😊

    john flaherty   January 11 2017, 1:12 pm EST
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  • Congratulations from an Electrical Engineer who appreciates competence and professionalism in our arts and who wishes you much success in your future.

    Our country needs more like you!!

    Heinz R.  January 10 2017, 4:56 pm EST
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  • Congratulations on your achievement! Mary Shambach

    mary shambach  January 10 2017, 4:48 pm EST
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  • YOU GO GIRL!!!!

    Leslie  January 10 2017, 2:20 pm EST
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  • Daria, I am happy to send congratulations to you in your performance at the National Skills Competition, I have been a judge of the Skills Competition at a district level in Florida. I know how much pressure the competitors are under and I am proud of each and every one of them.I am also an Instructor for our Local Apprenticeship School. It is always a pleasure to see someone do so well, especially that you were not recognized at the time of the Awards Ceremony. I am sorry that you missed that. At the end of the day you were were awarded first place. Great accomplishment. In my 40 plus years in the electrical business I have only witnessed 4 other females that were able to out perform their male counterparts in the electrical world. You are certainly special. Keep up the good work and God Bless you.

    Tony Gravatte  January 10 2017, 2:05 pm EST
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  • Congratulations Daria, Our industry is in short supply of good qualified electricians. I have always kept an open door to all qualified people and would hire you if you were ever to consider re-locating to California. Best wishes with your future! Tom Stollmeyer - Peak Electric

    Tom Stollmeyer  January 10 2017, 1:52 pm EST
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  • Way to go Daria! Excellent job!

    Jeanette Brasher  January 10 2017, 12:15 pm EST
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  • Daira, Congratulations not only on the belated win, but also on your skills. It is too bad that you did not receive the recognition that you deserve at the time of the competition. At least it did all work out in the end!

    Tom Martin  January 10 2017, 10:38 am EST
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  • Congrats to all involved. Hopefully we will continue to honor those who deserve honors, no matter their gender, race or religion.

    Earl Dean  January 10 2017, 9:40 am EST
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  • Great job Daria!!

    Bob Gendreau. Building Inspectot  January 10 2017, 9:22 am EST
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  • Mike, my congradulations to you for helping this lady. However, this was a stupid mistake that should never had happened. For years I have been angered by people who look at numbers and words and do not engage their brains. The mistaken score was obviously not logical and should have been recognized right on. You really desrve the most praise for convincing nitwits, something I have trouble doing.

    Bob  January 10 2017, 8:50 am EST
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  • Daria, congratulations! I've been working on electrical equipment for many years. I'm quite sure, had I been competing against you, you would have beat me as well :-) I wish you all the best in whatever career you choose.

    Greg Egan  January 10 2017, 8:48 am EST
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  • Congratulations Daria. This only goes to show that if you work hard, it will pay off. I happened to be the only female inspector for my City for the past 10 years. We have just hired another female in this field. I am proud, just as you are, to attempt to get these types of fields hiring more women. Keep pushing, God has a plan for you!!

    Margaret A. Slotnick  January 10 2017, 8:47 am EST
    Reply to this comment

  • Awesome job lady! I can't say enough of how honored and proud of not only your endeavors, but also your accomplishment. Welcome into a wonderful industry. Best wishes and I know you'll do great! More 👷🏻‍♀️power!

    Susan Newman Scearce  January 10 2017, 8:34 am EST
    Reply to this comment

  • Congratulations Ms. Daria. We need more professionals like you in the industry. Keep up the great work. Thanks a lot Mike, for bringing this story to us. Have a Great Day.

    Gunesh Patel  January 10 2017, 8:31 am EST
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  • Daria,

    Congratulations on a job well done.

    Bill  January 10 2017, 8:29 am EST
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  • Daria, Congratulations and I wish you the best of luck. God bless!! Mr. Holt, thanks a lot for always caring for others. May the Lord reward you for that here on earth and in His Heavenly Kingdom.

    Mariam Armanious  January 10 2017, 8:15 am EST
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  • Amazing, outstanding and very proud of what you accomplished. I am also a woman who was out in the field but I never heard of those kinds of things. Wished I had,,,,no biggie because you did it for us all. Keep up the AWESOME JOB

    Laura Garcia  January 10 2017, 8:07 am EST
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  • Congratulations Daria on this special accomplishment. I believe I competed in something similar back in the late 1970s and remember it being a very comprehensive and difficult test of the different aspects of the electrical trade. To place first is a worthy goal as you start a career in an ever changing trade that impacts everyone. Keep up on your studies as you proceed in your career and don't let anyone tell you that you can't accomplish anything because you're a woman. Good luck.

    Mark Bertacchi  January 10 2017, 7:35 am EST
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  • Congratulations Daria this is wonderful news.

    Ricardo Ramirez Jr   January 10 2017, 6:57 am EST
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  • Congratulations Daria, we need more good skilled, technical people in the workplace in industry.

    Mike Kozak  January 10 2017, 6:52 am EST
    Reply to this comment

  • Congratulations Daria. Great to see news about the trades, skilled craftspeople built this nation and bringing younger people in will keep the trades alive and well. Mike Holt you are a class act, God bless you.

    John Drucker  January 10 2017, 6:32 am EST
    Reply to this comment

  • Great job Daria.

    Nels Swanson  January 10 2017, 5:50 am EST
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  • Way To Go!!! Woohoo!!!

    Shannon   January 10 2017, 5:20 am EST
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  • AWESOME JOB !

    As my Dad used to say.......GO GETTUM TIGAR !

    Ron Hooson  January 10 2017, 12:32 am EST
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  • Well Done

    Donald Fowler jr  January 9 2017, 10:41 pm EST
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  • Hi Daria: I am very happy for you and for all of the education that you are deciding to get, keep up the good work and great accomplishments are coming your way, this is only the beginning of a great career ahead of you!

    Erik Sosa  January 9 2017, 10:07 pm EST
    Reply to this comment

  • NIce...

    Jon Rice  January 9 2017, 10:01 pm EST
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  • thrilled miss Daria got her proper award, that's great. now, if Daria had been a male, would we be hearing of this ? or .. is it just more thinly veiled pc sexism hiding behind warm fuzzys.

    because it REEKS of sexism to me.

    congrats to her of course, but still .. sexism. sorry. peter vacco

    peter vacco  January 9 2017, 9:43 pm EST
    Reply to this comment

  • Daria, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment.

    Connie  January 9 2017, 9:22 pm EST
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  • Great job Daria. I've judged the SkillsUSA competitions several times, so I know what an accomplishment this is. I'm really happy for you. I'm also really happy to see a female win the competition. My mother was an electrical inspector who started her career in the early 1980s. Things were really tough for her 30 years ago in a male dominated field. While things have certainly improved for females in our industry (in no small part due to people like my mother), people like you are helping to propel females into higher places than ever before, and are going to finally ensure the equality in pay and in treatment that you deserve. Keep on blazing trails, I look forward to seeing what you do next. I have no doubt that there are great things in your future. Ryan Jackson

    Ryan Jackson  January 9 2017, 8:15 pm EST
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