CTC Students Earn Gold and Silver Medals at SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference
Five of 12 students from the FCPS Career and Technology Center (CTC) recently placed in the national top ten at the 62nd annual SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC).
Joshua Yudt from the HVAC-Plumbing program, earned a gold medal and placed first nationwide in the Sheet Metal competition. Tanner Shorb from the Welding/Ag. Metals program, earned a silver medal and placed second nationwide in the Welding competition. The team of Jordan Preston, Valeria Molinak, and Katherine Smith earned fourth place nationwide in the Chapter Display competition.
“It was just last year that HVAC student Andrew Winkler secured the national gold in Sheet Metal, and now Josh has repeated the feat," said Charles Crum, HVAC and Plumbing Instructor at CTC. "Andrew generously returned and coached Josh on what he could expect at nationals. That willingness to help the next competitor speaks volumes about the culture our students have built and the pride they take in their program."
"Tanner is at that point in his development where his outstanding work ethic aligns with an exceptionally high level of skill," said CTC Welding teacher Tim Bromhal. "Among his many metalworking talents is blacksmithing, a skill that has already earned him summer employment with Baltimore Knife and Sword."
Also recognized for outstanding achievement and representing the state of Maryland were:
- Sterling Leach for the Welding Sculpture competition
- Elizabeth Frankel for the Technical Drafting competition
- Tofunmi Osibamowo for the Employment Application Process competition
- Alexis Jorge for the Advertising Design competition.
Hope Lehto and Mikailia Miller also served as National Delegates and represented the State of Maryland at the NLSC and Anila Martin Niz served as a Maryland State Officer.
The NLSC is the nation’s largest workforce development event for students enrolled in public career and technical education programs. The SkillsUSA Championships features over 6,700 competitors in 114 hands-on skill and leadership contests.
The SkillsUSA Championships is the national culmination of a year-long process that begins in local SkillsUSA chapters across the country. Local winners advance to district or regional competitions, testing their skills against competitors from other schools. Those winners advance to state competitions each spring, and state gold medalists earn the right to compete nationally at the SkillsUSA Championships each June. Along with gold, silver and bronze medallions, competitors may earn scholarships, tools of the trade, and even job offers right off the competition floor.
SkillsUSA’s National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) is the largest gathering of America’s future skilled workforce and the ultimate recognition of excellence in career and technical education. It is held in Atlanta each June with more than 17,000 attendees, including students, instructors, industry partners, government officials, administrators and more.
SkillsUSA represents more than 400,000 career and technical education students and teachers in middle schools, high schools and college/postsecondary institutions nationwide. For more about the competition, visit http://www.skillsusa.org/.