Within just a few minutes of meeting Lorivern Saycon, it is easy to understand why the College of Western Idaho (CWI) student took gold in Extemporaneous Speaking at the 2026 Idaho SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference. Saycon is quick to laugh, comfortable speaking with almost anyone, and carries herself with the ease of someone who has spent years in front of an audience.
“People sometimes say I’m charming, but I think it’s because I’m curious and find other people fascinating,” Saycon said with a laugh.
As a second-year student studying Cisco Networking and Security Technologies, she serves as president of CWI’s SkillsUSA chapter and is preparing to represent Idaho at the national competition in Atlanta, GA in June.
But a few years ago, she never imagined this path.
Born in Manila, Philippines, Saycon immigrated to the United States when she was six years old. She moved often as a child and spent years isolated from other people her age. By the time she was 16, she was living in a homeless shelter for at-risk youth.
Her senior year was also her first year in a traditional public high school, a transition that felt overwhelming after years of isolation.
“I lacked any social skills,” Saycon said. “The sight of seeing a group of people my age terrified me, and grabbing change from a cashier’s hand was too intimate. I used to have difficulty pronouncing my own name.”
For years, she believed she would always be on the outside looking in.
“I thought, ‘I’m too different,’” she said. “‘They’re not going to understand me because they haven’t been through the things I’ve been through, so what’s the point of opening my mouth?’”
Over time, Saycon realized her true fear was not tied to speaking but what was holding her back was self-doubt. She stopped worrying about judgment and started focusing on the purpose of her message.
“I realized nobody cares,” she said. “That was the first step.”
As she worked to become more comfortable speaking, Saycon began watching clips online of speakers, including former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. She learned to focus less on how she sounded and more on what the message was.
"I remember her asking, 'If you’re on a ship and it’s sinking, and you want to tell everyone, are you going to care what you look like or sound like?'” Saycon said, recalling the advice. “No. You just care that people know the ship is sinking.”
The idea stayed with her.
“I have a message,” she said. “If I believe my words are important, then there are people who want to hear them and people who need to hear them.”
As she became more comfortable interacting with others, Saycon discovered SkillsUSA after a high school classmate invited her to join. Though she had little experience and only two weeks to prepare, she earned silver medals in Telecommunications Cabling and Extemporaneous Speaking.
“I had no intention of winning,” she said. “I just wanted to be part of something.”
The experience stayed with her.
After Saycon graduated high school, she enrolled at CWI where she continued to grow in public speaking and gain new life experiences. She also joined the College's SkillsUSA chapter, focusing solely on Extemporaneous Speaking. This time around, she earned a gold medal with a speech centered around two mentors, her high school advisor and CWI Department Chair of Cybersecurity, Laura Hill, who helped her see her own potential.
“They taught me that brilliance and excellence aren’t always earned. Sometimes they’re just recognized,” Saycon said.
That lesson continues to shape the way she sees others and herself. At CWI, Saycon said she has found more than a place to continue her education. She found mentors, leadership opportunities, and a community that encouraged her to grow.
As president of the College’s SkillsUSA chapter, Saycon has the chance to mentor other students, organize service projects, and continue competing in an environment that values both technical skills and personal development.
“CWI feels like a community,” Saycon said. “People aren’t here for prestige. They’re here to learn and grow.”
She credits faculty members, including Hill, with helping her build confidence both inside and outside the classroom.
“Laura taught me that even though I may not be everything that I want to be right now, I will be,” Saycon said. “It’s important to not just look up to the person I will become, but to honor who I was before because that was the girl that got me where I am now.”
For Saycon, choosing CWI also meant making a decision for herself.
“I spent so much of my life being told what to do, so making this choice for myself meant a lot,” she said.
Saycon has also had opportunities to work in the computer science field, including an internship with Micron Technology, Inc., where she has been able to network with industry professionals and university students from around the world. She has plans to return to Micron as an intern again this summer, continuing to build experience in the field of technology.
Although she plans to continue in Cisco Networking and Security Technologies at CWI, she hopes to eventually transfer to a university to pursue public or international affairs.
“I want to be able to communicate in a way that helps audiences understand complex ideas, especially more esoteric ones like aging out of the foster care system,” Saycon shared.
Outside of class, she volunteers in the community, serves with the Filipino-American Association of Idaho, and participates in advocacy work for youth aging out of foster care.
Despite everything she has accomplished, Saycon said she still measures success in a personal way. She thinks often about her younger self and about the children she lived with in the shelter.
“I do it for her,” she said. “She would have loved this life.”
As she prepares to head across the country for nationals this summer, Saycon hopes to represent more than herself. She hopes her story encourages other students, especially those who have struggled to see their own potential, to believe there is still room for them to grow.
“I try to be someone I can look up to. I’m not who I want to be yet, but I’m trying. The person I am now, younger me would think is the coolest person ever. That’s what matters.”
Interested in developing your skills, leadership, and confidence through SkillsUSA? Visit the College’s Enrichment Opportunities page to learn more.
