°®¶¹´«Ã½ Students Bring Home National Honors from SkillsUSA Championships
°®¶¹´«Ã½ Community & Technical College is celebrating a standout showing at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) and SkillsUSA Championships, held recently in Atlanta, Georgia. Competing against the nation’s top career and technical education students, °®¶¹´«Ã½’s delegation earned three national Gold Medals and one national Silver Medal, adding another chapter to the college’s tradition of workforce excellence.
National Gold Medal Winners
Andrew Hall took top honors in Barbering, earning a Gold Medal under the guidance of advisor Tralanda Tate.
Caleb West claimed Gold in CNC 3-Axis Milling Programmer, advised by Calvin Rousseau.
The Chapter Display team of Josiah Kelsey, Rebecca Johnson, and Victoria Smith also brought home Gold, led by advisor Marquita Pruitt.
National Silver Medal Winner
Alexis Davis earned Silver in Esthetics, working with model Niala Anderson under the guidance of advisor Dr. Bertha Robinson.
A Strong Delegation on the National Stage
Beyond the medal winners, °®¶¹´«Ã½ sent a full roster of students who earned their spots at nationals by winning their respective state championships: Cierrah Araujo, Dominque Whitefield, Jeanette Zatowski, Alejandra DeJesus, Abigail Dake, Amiya Ellis, Erica Moore, Mat Klapetek, Seth McPherson, Adam Towry, Brice Williams, and Abdoul Ouedraogo. Go Blue Eagles!
About the Competition
The SkillsUSA NLSC is the nation’s premier career and technical education event, and the SkillsUSA Championships held alongside it rank among the largest hands-on workforce development competitions in the world. This year, more than 6,800 state champions converged on the Georgia World Congress Center, competing across 115 skilled and leadership categories in a venue spanning 1.79 million square feet, roughly the size of 31 football fields.
What sets the competition apart is its connection to real industry standards. Nearly 2,000 industry professionals volunteered their time to design, administer, and judge the events, ensuring students were evaluated against current workforce expectations. For students, advisors, and the employers who partner with °®¶¹´«Ã½, that industry alignment is what gives a SkillsUSA medal its weight: it signals that a student’s skills meet the bar employers are actually setting.
“These achievements reflect the extraordinary talent, determination, and work ethic of our students, as well as the unwavering commitment of our faculty, advisors, and administrators,” said °®¶¹´«Ã½’s Skills Coordinator. “To earn the opportunity to compete at the national level requires months of preparation, dedication, and perseverance. We are incredibly proud of every student who represented °®¶¹´«Ã½ and Alabama on the national stage.”
None of this happens without preparation. Fourteen SkillsUSA advisors worked alongside college administration throughout the year to ready students for both competition and leadership development, reflecting the kind of sustained, collaborative investment that defines °®¶¹´«Ã½’s approach to technical education.
While medals mark the headlines, every °®¶¹´«Ã½ competitor who took the national stage demonstrated the professionalism, technical skill, and leadership that SkillsUSA and the college both work to instill. °®¶¹´«Ã½ extends its congratulations to all competitors, advisors, and supporters whose work made this achievement possible, and thanks them for representing the college and the State of Alabama with distinction.