(Marietta, Ga. – March 24, 2016)
A group of 11 Chattahoochee Technical College students recently competed in the annual SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference at the Georgia International Convention Center. Five students earned gold medals at the state level and now will continue on to the SkillsUSA National Championship, which will be held June 22-27 in Louisville, Ky.
SkillsUSA is a national, nonprofit student organization that has developed more than 10 million workers through active partnerships between employers and educators. Hundreds of American industries have turned to SkillsUSA as the source for employees who exemplify “Champions at Work” in both skills and attitudes.
During a SkillsUSA Georgia event, Chattahoochee Technical College student Michael Wells performs a traffic stop on Cobb County Police Explorer Oscar Escarcega, of Marietta.
The SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference was held March 17-19 and included a large career fair, seminars and a chance for students to network with other students in various fields of study. The event culminates with a multi-location competition covering approximately 100 areas of technical, health and service education.
Competing in areas such as automotive technology, industrial motor control, criminal justice, culinary arts and motorcycle repair, students from Chattahoochee Technical College tested their talents against other students enrolled in the trade, technical and skills service professions. According to CTC Electrical Systems Technology Instructor Joe Kazemian, the event is a way for students to apply what they have learned from a certain program of study.
“The SkillsUSA competition gives CTC students who are competing a chance to see what they have gained from a program of study so that when they go out to a job site, they know what to expect,” Kazemian said. “The students are also judged on how well they interview, which is beneficial because it prepares them for the types of questions they might be asked in the field when they go for a future job interview.”
Chattahoochee Technical College’s gold medalists included LaMatra Barefield, of McDonough, who competed in culinary arts; Michael Wells, of Woodstock, who competed in the criminal justice event; and Michelle Malone, of Marietta, Karen Higdon, of Marietta, and Michael Poulos, of Canton, who competed as a team in crime scene investigation. CTC students Brandon Musser, of Smyrna, took home silver in motorcycle repair and Ashley Woods, of Atlanta, received bronze in commercial baking.