BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Holstein Association USA is delighted to announce the winners of the 2021 Virtual Interview Contest. The program is designed to prepare youth for real world opportunities and give them the chance to sharpen their resume writing and interview skills in a virtual setting.
“The Virtual Interview Contest is a great opportunity for any Junior member to compete in one of our programs at a national level” says Kelli Dunklee, Holstein Association USA Youth Program Specialist. “This year’s participants spanned from coast to coast and connected with industry professionals from different aspects of agriculture.”
Cash prizes of $250 for first place, $100 for second place, and $50 for third place will be awarded in the junior and intermediate divisions. In the senior division, youth will be given cash prizes of $500 for first place, $250 for second place, and $100 for third place. Following are the results from each division.
Junior Division (ages 12-14 as of January 1)
1st place: Elsie Donlick, New York
2nd place: Madison Wiese, Wisconsin
3rd place: Lauren Silveira, California
Intermediate Division (ages 15-17 as of January 1)
1st place: Jon Chapman, California
2nd place: Salem Sifford, Virginia
3rd place: Jenna Larson, Florida
Senior Division (ages 18-21 as of January 1)
1st place: Joseph Real, Vermont
2nd place: Madison Sifford, Virginia
3rd place: Katarina Emerich, New York
Applicants submitted cover letters and resumes based on a mock interview scenario and were selected to move on to the second phase of the contest based on their combined cover letter and resume scores. During the second phase youth members completed a virtual interview with a panel of three judges made up of industry professionals. Final scores were calculated based on each applicant’s cover letter, resume, and interview. All youth received feedback from the judges to help further prepare them for future interviews.
Congratulations to all participants! For more information about the Virtual Interview Contest and all of Holstein Association USA’s youth programs, visit www.holsteinusa.com/juniors/.
–Holstein Association USA
