Local career and technical students earned national recognition and a medal at the 2023 SkillsUSA Championships, held in Atlanta, on June 21-22. More than 6,000 students competed at the national showcase of career and technical education. The SkillsUSA Championships is the largest skill competition in the world and covers 1.79 million square feet, equivalent to 31 football fields or 41 acres.
A total of 1,250 gold, silver and bronze medals were presented to students on Friday night, June 23 at the SkillsUSA Awards Session. Many winners also received industry prizes, tools of their trade or scholarships. Skill Point Certificates were also awarded to the national medalists for meeting a threshold score in their event as an indicator of proficiency and workplace readiness. Students can add the certificate to their employment portfolio.
Students were invited to the event based on their outstanding state-level performance in career competitions held earlier this spring. At the SkillsUSA Championships, each student demonstrated their technical skills, workplace skills and personal skills in one of 110 hands-on competitions including robotics, automotive technology, drafting, criminal justice, aviation maintenance and public speaking. Industry leaders from 650 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions planned and evaluated the contestants against their standards for entry-level workers. Industry support of the SkillsUSA Championships is valued at over $36 million in donated time, equipment, cash and material. More than 1,200 industry judges and technical committee members participated this year.
The following local students received a SkillsUSA Championships medal and Skill Point Certificate:
- Nicholes Cortes, from Statesboro and a student at Statesboro High School, was awarded the high school silver medal in Related Technical Math.
- Bethea Gregory, from Statesboro and a student at Ogeechee Technical College, was awarded the college silver medal in Early Childhood Education.
- Adair Baltazar-Montoya, Tony Hernandez, and Justin Hall, students at Ogeechee Technical College, were awarded gold in the Career Pathways – Industrial and Engineering Technology competition.
- Justin Clenny and Dalton Flanders, students at Ogeechee Technical College, were awarded gold in the Cyber Security competition.
More information on OTC's wins:
Career Pathways – Industrial and Engineering Technology
OTC students Adair Baltazar-Montoya, Tony Hernandez, and Justin Hall competed and won gold in the Career Pathways – Industrial and Engineering Technology competition.
“I am incredibly proud of these three individuals for representing OTC, our local community, and the construction industry in the Career Pathways Showcase,” said Jeffry Roberson, Construction Management Instructor. “A lot of energy and sweat went into hanging 1,200 square feet of gypsum board in the Georgia September heat for this unprecedented achievement.”
In a team of three, student teams used their course of study as the basis of a project that benefit their class, school, community or industry. This competition judged mastery of their training, its application, the project’s benefit to their community, and display and presentation techniques. The OTC students competition entry was based on the 1,200 square feet of sheetrock they installed at Habitat House #59 in Statesboro.
Cyber Security
OTC students Justin Clenny and Dalton Flanders competed and won gold in the Cyber Security competition.
“From day one each of these students has stood out showing an amazing passion for their studies and demonstrating strong work ethic, leadership, and teamwork,” said Terry Hand, Cybersecurity instructor. “They are both incredible individuals and I am honored to have been their instructor.”
As a team of two, the competition is open to active SkillsUSA members enrolled in programs with Cyber Security, Information Security, or Systems and Networking Security Architecture. Students were tested on the elements of the NIST Publication 800-181 Cybersecurity Workforce Framework categories including Securely Provision, Operate and Maintain, and Protect and Defend.
Early Childhood Education
OTC student Bethea “Bea” Gregory competed and won silver in the Early Childhood Education competition.
“Bea is a mother of four, a grandmother, works full-time, and is full-time student at OTC. Her journey over the last year with preparation, training, practices, meetings, long days, networking, and traveling to competitions all led to her moment of excellence winning a medal in her field,” said Paula Clifton, Early Childhood Care and Education instructor.
Competitors demonstrated their knowledge of developmentally appropriate practice and their ability to prepare and implement learning activities for children three to five years old. Competitors prepared a written lesson plan and took a written test assessing their knowledge of child development and effective teaching strategies.
A total of 1,250 gold, silver and bronze medals were presented to students on Friday night, June 23 at the SkillsUSA Awards Session at State Farm Arena. Many winners also received industry prizes, tools of their trade or scholarships. The medalists and contestants who met a threshold contest score for their event as an indicator of proficiency also received a Skill Point Certificate representing workplace readiness in the student's occupational specialty. Students can add the certificate to an employment portfolio.
"More than 6,000 students from every state in the nation participated in the 2023 SkillsUSA Championships," said SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis. "This showcase of career and technical education demonstrates SkillsUSA at its finest. Our students, instructors and industry partners work together to ensure that every student excels. This program expands learning and career opportunities for our members."
The SkillsUSA Championships event is held annually for students in middle school, high school or college/postsecondary programs as part of the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference. The national, nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry is a verified talent pipeline for America's skilled workforce that is working to help solve the skills gap.
You can watch the livestream recorded footage of the awards ceremony here.
