Two members of the Jefferson-Lewis BOCES SkillsUSA chapter are heading to New York City Friday, Nov. 4, to network with some of the nation’s top business leaders.

Wendy Sue Colton, a H.G. Sackett Center auto technology II student from the Copenhagen Central School, and Hannah Gamel, a Bohlen Center cosmetology II student from the Lyme Central School, will be attending the SkillsUSA Champion of the Year Dinner. This year’s dinner will honor Jim Lentz, the president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.

Both Colton and Gamel are New York State officers this year for SkillsUSA. Gamel is the state secretary and Colton is the state reporter.

The students will leave for New York City with SkillsUSA advisor Tara Pawlowski Friday morning. Business leaders pay a minimum of $1,000 a plate for the dinner, which is taking place at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue. The event includes a reception and dinner during which students have the opportunity to speak with business leaders and other professionals.

Friday is only the beginning of a busy schedule for Colton and Gamel. From New York City, the students are off to the Syracuse area to present at the SkillsUSA State Fall Leadership Conference, which runs from Nov. 6-8..