Baton Rouge, La -- On April 19 and 20, two-year college students from across the state competed in the 35th annual SkillsUSA Louisiana Post-secondary Championships hosted by SOWELA Technical Community College.
More than 200 community and technical college students matched their abilities against their peers' in various career and
technical education contests, which were designed and judged by over 63 experts from local business and industry. More than one hundred medals were awarded, 52 gold, 27 silver, and 23 bronze. This year's competition was one of the largest in its history. Gold medal winners are now eligible to compete in the national SkillsUSA championships in Louisville, Kentucky, from June 25-29, 2018.
"We are proud of the effort displayed by our student competitors at the SkillsUSA state championships," said Monty Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. "This competition allows students to put into practice what they learn in our classrooms and labs. The categories and the programs we offer are aligned with statewide labor demands, and are at the core of what our colleges do every day, which is preparing students for the workforce and real-life experiences in a competitive environment."
Participants competed in 37 skill areas including architectural drafting, collision repair technology, culinary arts, electrical, industrial motor control, practical nursing, welding, early childhood education and other in-demand career fields.
State Officer elections were also held at the competition. The 2018 officers are Kimberly Hayes, president, Baton Rouge Community College; Brittany Ducote, vice president, SOWELA Technical Community College; Jacqueline Limbrick, secretary/treasurer, SOWELA Technical Community College; Sara Patterson, reporter/historian, Bossier Parish Community College; and, Emily Barmore, parliamentarian, Bossier Parish Community College .
SkillsUSA is a national organization with more than 300,000 members and is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. Its mission is to help its members become world-class workers and responsible American citizens and prepares students with employability skills that industry values.
The complete list of medalists are below.
| CONTEST | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Action Skills |
Cody M. Reitz, BPCC |
||
| Advertising Design |
Aspen Keel, SOWELA TCC |
Ayasha Gillespie, SOWELA TCC | Justin Kimes, BPCC |
| Architectural Drafting | Kylah Marcantel, SOWELA TCC | Cory Rogers, BRCC | |
|
Audio/Radio Production |
C. Welch D. Landsbury, BPCC |
||
|
Automotive Service Technology |
Matthew Lugo, Delgado |
Juston Fruge, Delgado |
Brandon Lefebvre, Delgado |
|
Aviation Maintenance Technology |
Christopher Bellocq, BRCC |
Matthew Jones, BRCC |
Bryce John Cornwell, BRCC |
|
Broadcast News Production |
Sarah Patterson, Emily Barmore, Alex Richardson, Daniel Foots, BPCC |
||
| Commercial Banking | JaRee Kelly, SLCC |
Rebecca Burch, SOWELA TCC |
Abigail Milligan, SLCC |
| Crime Scene Investigation | John Janise, Sierra Neugent, Justin Trahan, SOWELA TCC | ||
| Criminal Justice | Jacob Flower, NTCC | ||
| Culinary Arts | Tyler Kyeer, SOWELA TCC |
Crystal Joseph, SLCC |
Dameon Fusilier, SLCC |
| Customer Service | Ashley Augustine, SLTCC | Ivan Huffman, CLTCC |
Shawntell McKay, CLTCC |
| Diesel Equipment Technology | Edmond Burk, SLCC | Alex Vidrine, SOWELA TCC | Ethan Acquistapace, NTCC |
| Digital Cinema Production | Christopher Hale, William Jolley, BPCC | ||
| Early Childhood Education | Jamaica Young, NTCC | Allie Wilkerson, NTCC | |
| Electrical Construction Wiring | Michael Plaisance, Fletcher TCC | Jeremiah Slocum, NTCC | Louis Haynes, NWLTC |
| Employment Application Process | Anna Paden, BPCC | ||
| Extemporaneous Speaking | Kimberly Hayes, BRCC | ||
| First Aid/CPR | Leslie Bean, Nunez Community College | Quashhondr Morris-Powell, NTCC | Caleb Parker, Nunez Community College |
| Health Knowledge Bowl | Christian Johnson, Tristien Dupuy, Devin Jeansonne, Carroll Blanchard, CLTCC | Sadie Sharp, Janett Chaisson, Emily Glascock, Chara Bankston, NTCC | Amanda Rutledge, Cheyanne Morse, Katelyn Fortenberry, Hannah Billek, NTCC |
| Information Technology Services | Brock Gerald, NTCC | Ashton Orlando, NTCC | Luke McLean, SCLTC |
| Job Interview | Chaelyn Newton, SU | Kimberly Hayes, BRCC | Katie Simon, SOWELA TCC |
| Job Skill Demonstration Open | Chaelyn Newton, SU | Gary Cheramie, SCLTC | |
| Medical Math | Samantha Jinnah, NTCC | Caitlin Cummings, CLTCC | Emily Glascock, NTCC |
| Medical Terminology | Lashondra George, SOWELA TCC | Tristin Dupuy, CLTCC | Christian Johnson, CLTCC |
|
Nurse Assisting |
Michael Vidrine, SOWELA TCC | Adam Benoit, SOWELA TCC | Lashondra George, SOWELA TCC |
| Opening and Closing Ceremonies | Shamari Jackson, Ashley McElroy, Mary Trekkell, Silas Schroeder, Tiffany Odom, Courtney Saulsbury, David Lounsbury, BPCC | ||
| Photography | Tiffany Odom, BPCC | Brookin Alexander, SOWELA TCC | Silas Schroeder, BPCC |
| Pin Design | Alex Richardson, BPCC | Justin Lee, BPCC | Taraia Jackson, NWLTC |
| Practical Nursing | Tammy Hendricks, CLTCC | Tristien Dupuy, CLTCC | Vincent Reed, SOWELA TCC |
| Prepared Speech | Joel Dees, SOWELA TCC | ||
| Restaurant Service | Caitlin Kraftt, SLCC | ||
| T-Shirt Design | Bethany Parker, SOWELA TCC | Alex Richardson, BPCC | Sherry Ayers, BPCC |
| Television (Video) Production | David Sonnier, Sky McMillan, SOWELA TCC | Dillon Procell, James French, BPCC | |
| Web Design | Jade Higginbotham, Tyler Fitkin, SOWELA TCC | Jesse Neal, Henry McCall, SOWELA TCC | |
| Welding | Cody Farrington, CLTCC | Michael Crisafulli, SOWELA TCC | Ryan Lovasz, CLTCC |
About Louisiana's community and technical colleges:
Last year, Louisiana's community and technical colleges served and provided instruction to over 131,000 students, transferred over 15,000 students to four-year institutions across the country, and graduated 28,853 students - the largest graduating class in the system's history. Our colleges have earned a national reputation as colleges of excellence and as shining examples of efficiency and productivity. In 2016, Lumina Foundation, one of the nation's most respected educational and philanthropic organizations commissioned that Louisiana has the highest percentage in the nation of working age adults who hold a high-quality post-secondary certificate and that the state's overall degree attainment rate improved from 48th to 26th in the nation.
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