Brittany Whitestone
Age 20
Hometown: Westminster, Md.
Representing the United States at WorldSkills in Print Media
Brittany Whitestone discovered her love for the print industry at the Carroll County Career and Technology Center. In her junior year of high school, she enrolled in the tech center for print production because she was interested in graphic design. She quickly realized, though, that she wanted to be a printer – to take someone’s ideas and make them tactile.
“I love getting my hands dirty and creating something for clients that they are ecstatic to receive. Printing can be a challenging field, and knowing the customer is proud of a job I did in bringing their ideas to life – it’s the best feeling.”
When Brittany started helping other students with their SkillsUSA projects, she discovered that she wanted to participate herself. “I remember representing Maryland at the National competition and feeling so proud knowing that I was doing my best and giving the competition my all.”
Brittany continues to help train students for competition and loves seeing them develop their excitement for their skills as they learn and grow.
“Printing is more than just ink on paper, it’s an interactive experience. Sharing that with the world is extremely important to me.”
After competing in WorldSkills, Brittany plans to continue her career in the print media industry. She currently works for RR Donnelley, a global integrated communications provider.
Quotables
On competing in the WorldSkills competition:
“Representing the United States at the WorldSkills competition is the most rewarding thing to happen in my life. I am most excited to learn from other nations and meet so many people from all over the world who enjoy the trade just as much as I do. Learning new ways in which other cultures utilize their skills will be an extremely gratifying experience.”
Advice for others:
“Never say you can’t do something. The printing industry has so many exciting things to offer. Take every opportunity you have to learn something new, and you will be amazed at where it can take you.”
On SkillsUSA’s role:
“From being a part of SkillsUSA and competing at the national conference, I have grown not only in my trade but also as an individual. I did not know that Print Media Technology was a career path that I could follow, but now, I love my trade and want to continue to learn new things every day.”
