Valdosta, GA— Five students from Wiregrass Georgia Technical College are headed to the National SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta this June after winning gold medals at the state-wide SkillsUSA Championship this past weekend. The college had a great showing bringing home 5 gold, 4 silver, and 12 bronze medals. For the sixth year in a row, Wiregrass was recognized as a Gold Chapter of Distinction level award winner and the was recognized as third place in the largest chapter membership for the state.
For the sixth year, the Wiregrass SkillsUSA chapter earned a Gold Chapter of Distinction award for chapter projects that are both service-oriented and practical learning experiences for students. With the support of advisors, students plan and execute the projects, which requires teamwork, communication, planning, and management skills, in addition to applying their technical skills. The chapter had three major projects this year. Interdisciplinary collaboration where members of SkillsUSA had the opportunity to use their job-specific skills and knowledge for interdisciplinary collaboration projects to share knowledge with different programs and/or develop new ideas or creative solutions for problems using their technical skills. The project was a collaboration between Dental Assisting and Precision Machining programs in designing and creating a tray for dental students to practice manual dexterity. The second was the “fostering hope” project to support teens in foster care in our area. This project included backpacks with personal care products, art/journal supplies, other goodies, and a custom-designed notebook with information on technical education programs, apprenticeships, and financial aid. And “Game On! Take Time to Play” was the third project. The purpose of this project was to be creative and explore ideas to help our chapter overcome local and communication barriers through positive interactions with others. Chapter members planned games and other creative activities for students and advisors to give them a “fun break”, an opportunity to interact/socialize with others, and make connections.
Wiregrass President DeAnnia Clements shared, “Again the Wiregrass SkillsUSA Chapter members have made us all proud of their hard work. We congratulate these students, faculty, and advisors, and look forward to National SkillsUSA in Atlanta this June.”
These Wiregrass students who won gold will represent Wiregrass Georgia Tech at the SkillsUSA National Championships:
Damon Sawyer, Precision Machining and Manufacturing, Valdosta Campus in Automated Manufacturing Tech
Tyler Schweiger, Precision Machining and Manufacturing, Valdosta Campus in Automated Manufacturing Tech
Kris Petron, Precision Machining and Manufacturing, Valdosta Campus in Automated Manufacturing Tech
Jordan Hill, Networking Specialist, Valdosta Campus in Interactive App/Video Game Development
Jed Stone, Game Development, Valdosta Campus in Interactive App/Video Game Development
Silver medal winners from Wiregrass were:
Tetiana Denysenko, Paramedicine, Valdosta Campus in Pin Design
Taylor Sharfner, Engineering Technology, Valdosta Campus in Prepared Speech
Sarah Karagoz, Design and Media Production Technology, Valdosta Campus in T-Shirt Design
Cheyenne Thomas, Neuromuscular Massage Therapy, Valdosta Campus in Job Skill Demonstration Open
Students who won bronze medals at the state level were:
Braeden Grindstaff, Cybersecurity, Valdosta Campus in Cybersecurity
Colin Ritchea, Cybersecurity, Valdosta Campus in Cybersecurity
Sabrina Lancianese, Dental Assisting, Valdosta Campus in Dental Assisting
Dashon Cromwell, Design and Media Production, Valdosta Campus in Digital Cinema Production
Caleb Manning, Design and Media Production, Valdosta Campus in Digital Cinema Production
Cody Williams, Commercial Electrical Construction, Valdosta Campus in Electrical Construction Wiring
Matthew Harris, Commercial Electrical Construction, Valdosta Campus in Industrial Motor Control
Mary Hardesty, Nursing Technician, Valdosta Campus in Nurse Assisting
Andrew Culpepper, Welding and Joining Technology, Valdosta Campus in Welding
Chason Warren, Welding and Joining Technology, Valdosta Campus in Welding Fabrication
Dylan Gordan, Welding and Joining Technology, Valdosta Campus in Welding Fabrication
James Taylor, Welding and Joining Technology, Valdosta Campus in Welding Fabrication
Other college participants include from the Valdosta Campus Austin Culpepper, DeQuincy Williams, Josue Garcia, Nakiria Larkin, Rowan Hayward, Joshua Love, Seth Smith, Chloe Lambertson, Cassandra Fischer, Jasmin Makuch, Nancy Ann Montaque, Deon Braswell, Dean Mernagh, Diamond Dawson, Taerick Arroyo, Tanis Brooks, Derrick Johns, Leigh Johnson, and Emmanuel Williams. Wiregrass Advisors who worked with these students includes Darron Lanier, Tim Drexler, Nicole West, Jason Richardson, John Patten, Amanda Garnto, Sean Strickland, Sam Bolling, Drew Vickers, Dimple Sali-Carter, Wally Rewis, Roy Bramley, Toby Heard, Randy Arnold, Mitchell Pitts, Hunter Wills, Julie Drexler, Kathy Ballard, Denese Davis, Danni Hendrix, Katrina Bohanon, Chandler Chancy, Leigh Ingra, Rachel Propson, Jennifer Ray, Zach Sheppard, Tabora Temple, Joshua Whittington, and Sandi Woodward.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry representatives working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. It is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers, high school, and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skills service occupations. The SkillsUSA program hosts local, state, and national competitions for students to showcase their skills learned through hands-on training in the classroom. For more information about Wiregrass’ SkillsUSA chapter or other student organizations and programs, visit wiregrass.edu. During March, the college is waiving the application fees when you apply for Summer or Fall Semesters. Summer classes begins May 13 and Fall starts August 12. Visit Wiregrass.edu to learn more about the programs Wiregrass offers.
