BronxNet Today: HVAC Student Competition [0:00-2:55]

It's getting heated at this annual competition between Bronx Design and Construction Academy and Saunders Vocational High School. It instills confidence. It's confidence. Confidence. Definitely confidence. I feel like it helps make students more confident. Confidence. It's what's being instilled in the students at this year's Steve Renaldi Student Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Competition, otherwise known as HVAC. I've seen the kids at a certain point when that life old clicks of like, hey, I can actually do something with this training. For almost three decades, friendly competition has come to fire between students from the Bronx Design and Construction Academy and Saunders Vocational High School and Yonkers. I'm very proud of them because a lot of them, they were here last year. I competed with them last year. So a lot of them, friends with them, I told them, you know, it's nice seeing them being successful. Right now, they're just working. Part of not even thinking about the possibilities that come with us. As a teacher now, I can see why events like this happen. What makes this competition special isn't just the trophy awarded at the end, but the fact that industry professionals and sponsors are called in as judges, giving the students a real shot and impressing veterans in the field. So the judges that are here and other people here are from upper level management to answer the technicians' work in the field. So it's a great process. It is an opportunity to see what opportunities are available in the field. This is a very good venue for us to find new candidates to come into our industry. And a lot of these students and a lot of past students have been hired into the industry and are working for companies already throughout the five boroughs and even on Long Island. And the students prepare for this, knowing that this competition could bring them one step closer to their future. What do you think? It can help me get mainstream. It can get lots of opportunities. They're looking at me and be like, this kid knows what he's doing. I think we should hire him. Six different events take place during competition day. All aiming to touch on what the students have learned at their grade level. The more he's been practicing, I could see it. He's more confident he's doing the way he can explain the trade. I think I'm just getting a little better understanding of everything around us. Even when I go to our places and I'm looking around, I can see sure and stuff that I've seen in like dad's eyes that I'm doing in class. Once the various event winners are decided, the awards when on both sides are tallied up. Whichever school has the most will hold the cut for an additional year. Even if they don't win, afterwards they always reassess themselves and realize I could have done that better, I could have done that better. Oh, I should have done that. And it really speeds the learning curve up for people to learn how to be a professional. The results for today's competition will be announced around 3 p.m. So good luck to all the students involved. In Melrose, I'm Satrice McQueen with Bronx Nan.