Triple the Talent
Seniors Find Their Own SkillsUSA Paths
Meet Sosie, Zabel and Perry DerKosrofian: three names, three distinct passions and one powerful story of growth through SkillsUSA Massachusetts.
The Derkosrofians, a set of triplets at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (BVT), have spent the last four years distinguishing themselves as individuals with bold ambitions and a shared foundation. Each joined SkillsUSA during their sophomore year, and each found a different lane to thrive in – from medicine to technology to the construction trades.
“SkillsUSA at BVT felt like an honor,” Zabel said. “It was this thing you looked up to. So when I was asked to join, I thought, ‘Wow – really, me?’” Her first year, she competed in IT Services, placing fifth at districts. She aimed to make it to the state competition the following year. By switching to Technical Computer Applications and sharpening her skills, she hit that goal - and this year she brought home a gold medal.
That determination runs in the family.
Sosie found her niche in Health Sciences and, more specifically, Medical Terminology. “It just comes to me – I don’t know why,” she said. “I love winning, but more than that, I love doing what I love.”
She earned gold medals in her first two years, and, this spring, she scored an elusive perfect 100 during the district competition to advance to states for the third year, where she earned a bronze. “A lot of people joke that I just know everything,” she said with a laugh, “but the truth is I study for hours. Flashcards, crossword books, practice tests – I prepare like crazy.”
Perry found his calling in Construction Technology. After seeing his sisters compete sophomore year, he jumped into SkillsUSA as a junior, encouraged by a supportive teacher to compete in cabinetmaking. “I loved it,” he said. “And it just felt right – the hands-on work, the pride in building something real.”
Beyond SkillsUSA, all three are deeply involved in student leadership. Sosie is student council president. Zabel serves as vice president of the Central District of the Massachusetts Association of Student Councils. Perry, once a shy eighth-grader, said student council helped him find his voice. “I used to be quiet. Now I’m the guy doing energizers in front of a crowd – and loving it.”
And then there’s the bond they share – not just as siblings, but as young professionals navigating the same school with entirely different experiences. “We’ve been ‘the triplets’ since day one,” Sosie said. “But it’s cool how different we are. At dinner, I’ll talk about nursing, Zabel will be talking about IT, and Perry’s like, ‘Yeah, I was on a roof today.’ It’s wild.”
Their decision to attend BVT opened doors they never could have imagined. “It was absolutely the best decision,” Zabel said.. “The technical training, the soft skills, the leadership – we’re lightyears ahead of where we’d be.”
Each has already held a co-op job in their field: Sosie at a local senior center, Zabel at an IT firm, and Perry learning construction trades alongside experienced professionals. “I feel like I’ve already started my career,” Sosie said. “I’m a certified nursing assistant with real clinical hours before I even start college.”
And what comes next is just as exciting.
With her SkillsUSA performance helping her secure one of only 30 spots in the nursing program, with honors, at the University of New England this fall, Sosie has longer-term plans to don a pediatrician’s white coat. She follows Boston Children’s Hospital, and her social feed is filled with stories of how providers are changing lives. That could be a dream place to work, though she also sees a calling with Doctors Without Borders. “If I have this passion, I want to help as many people as I can,” she said.
Zabel will attend Stonehill College in the honors program, double majoring in exercise science and computer science. “I want to develop sports and movement tech for athletes and first responders,” she said. “It's about using what I know – tech – to help people.”
Perry is also Stonehill-bound, but with a different vision: He’ll study secondary education and history with dreams of returning to BVT as a teacher. “I love construction,” he said. “But I want to make an impact in the classroom.”
As graduation nears, the siblings are preparing for the bittersweet next step of going their separate ways – at least for now. “I’ll miss them,” Sosie said. “But I’m ready to spread my wings. It’s fun being ‘the triplets,’ but I want people to know me for me.”
Still, the support they’ve given each other has made all the difference. “We’ve helped each other study, cheered each other on and challenged each other too,” Zabel said. “And we’ve done it all while growing into our own people.”