Left to right, Front row: Michael Soluri, Cody Romsburg, Leyda Cadena, Emily Schueftan, Samantha Fulton, Isabella Fernandez, Sofia Driver, Kate Brubaker, Brooke Fletcher, Anthony Terselic. Middle row: Ethan Mentzer, Marshall Proctor, Bradley Keriakos, Ellie Stevens, Ryan Brightman, Viren Mistry, Megan Farkas, Micayla Brown, Johnny Rodriguez, Brody Watson, Brady Johnson. Back row: Dominic Stultz, Caden Keyser, William Szkotak, Edwin Niemandt, Johann Myles Seth Rape, Donald Haycraft
Five students from the Frederick County Public Schools’ Career and Technology Center (CTC) recently placed in the nation’s top 10 at the 58th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta.
These dedicated students competed against more than 5,000 of their peers from across the nation and U.S. territories. The SkillsUSA Championships are competitive events showcasing the best career and technical education students in the nation.
“We were thrilled to be so well represented at this year’s Skills USA National Leadership Conference,” FCPS Superintendent Dr. Cheryl L. Dyson said. “All students who took part are learning and developing skills that will prepare them well for their bright futures.”
Students who placed in the top 10 were:
Leyda Cadena, from the Academy of Health Professions program, earned a gold medal and placed first nationwide in the Medical Assisting competition.
Donald Haycraft, from the HVAC-plumbing program, placed eighth nationwide in their related competition.
The team of Bradley Keriakos, Marshall Proctor and Seth Rape – CTC students in the CAD Engineering and Architectural programs, placed ninth nationwide in the Career Pathways Showcase: Architecture and Construction competition.
All told, 29 CTC students took part in the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. Those representatives were: Johann Myles and Brody Watson for Robotics: Urban Search & Rescue; the team of Caden Keyser and Edwin Niemandt for Additive Manufacturing; the team of Ryan Brightman, Greggory Icore and Viren Mistry for Career Pathway Showcase: Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Dominic Stultz for Technical Drafting; the team of Kate Brubaker, Isabella Fernandez, Samantha Fulton and Emily Schueftan for Health Knowledge Bowl; Megan Farkas for Nurse Assisting; Micayla Brown for Commercial Baking; Brooke Fletcher for Cosmetology; Sofia Driver for Extemporaneous Speaking; the team of Brady Johnson, Johnny Rodriquez and Ellie Stevens for Career Pathway Showcase: Arts and Communications; Ethan Mentzer for Automotive Service Technology; the team of Cody Romsburg, Michael Soluri, and William Szkotak for Welding Fabrication; and Anthony Terselic for Architectural Drafting.
The SkillsUSA Championships is the nation’s largest hands-on workforce development event for middle school, high school and college/post-secondary students enrolled in career and technical education programs. SkillsUSA hosts the event at an estimated cost of more than $36 million. It is considered the largest skills competition in the world and one of the single largest days of industry volunteerism in the United States.