Metro Tech Students Excel at State SkillsUSA, Setting Sights on National Competitions

OKLAHOMA CITY – Approximately 40 Metro Tech adult and high school students placed at the Oklahoma SkillsUSA Leadership Conference in Tulsa last week and several qualified for competitions at the National Leadership Conference in Atlanta this June.

In the post-secondary Firefighting competitions, Firefighter Services Students Jackson Doggett placed first and Mason Hendon placed second while Trent Sprague placed first and Chris Garcia placed second in the high school competition. Doggett and Sprague are qualified to compete at the national competition this June.

Firefighter Services Student Zach Coovert also competed and placed second in the post-secondary First-Aid and CPR competition.

Other Metro Tech Public Safety Academy (PSA) students placed as well. The Career Pathway Showcase: Human Services Team with Law Enforcement Prep Students; Evelin Ramirez, Carlos Gonzales and Julissa Izquierdo placed first and qualified for nationals. Vanea Pendleton, a post-secondary Law Enforcement Prep student, placed third in the First-Aid and CPR competition.

In the Criminal Justice competition, Joshua Twyman placed first and David Hutches placed second in the high school competition while Jose Lopez placed second in the post-secondary competition. Hutches will join the other PSA students in Atlanta as well.

Also qualifying for the national competitions were Entrepreneurship Students; Jamiera Washington, Deonna McIntosh and Caroline Agilar who placed first with their team in the Community Service competition and Cristian Casco, Valeria Gonzalez Flores, Raquel Hernandea and Mia Puga who placed first in the Entrepreneurship Team competition.

High School Cosmetology Students; Jimena Martinez, Valerie Sanchez, Valerie Gonzalez, Pedro Garcia, Karen Lucero Garcia, Annadely Sapien and Yadirah Martinez placed second with their team in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies competition. 

Adult Cosmetology Students placed in several categories as well. Cristina Delgado placed third in the Esthetics competition while Shannon Rich-Castillo placed second in Prepared Speech and Jennifer Tapia placed third in Nail Care.

Aviation Student Matthew Hoisington placed second in the post-secondary Aviation Maintenance Technology competition.

Graphic Design Students Chester Strickland placed first and Constance Guerrero-Hawkins placed third in the High School Job Demonstration competitions, qualifying for nationals.

Bailey Brown, an adult Graphic Design student competed individually in the post-secondary Job Exhibit: Packaging competition and placed second.

In the Collision Repair Technology high school competitions, Collision Repair Students Brian Angeles and Kevin Espinoza placed seventh and in the Automotive Refinishing Technology competition, Melissa Viezcas placed eighth.

In the Job Readiness Competition, Project SEARCH Students Khalil Tillis and Josue Velasco-Macias placed first and second in the Table Setting category while Elizabeth Orona placed second and Abraham Castillo placed first in Cake Decorating.

Other Project SEARCH students, Moises Garcia-Romo placed second in the Sandwich Making category while Jimmie Smith placed first in Laundry Sorting and Folding.

Finally, HVAC Student Nathan Brown placed first in the HVAC & Refrigeration competition, and Electrical Technology student, Gabe Pelzer placed first in the Electrical Construction Wiring Competition. Both Construction Trades students qualified for nationals.

“Our students did absolutely incredible at the State SkillsUSA competition this year and made Metro Tech proud,” Bonnie Logan, CareerTech Organization Advisor at Metro Tech said. “It is a testament to the hard work their teachers and instructors put into their education during class.”

About SkillsUSA:

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry professionals who work together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. Including alumni, SkillsUSA membership totals over 393,000 and is one of seven CareerTech Organizations. It has served nearly 14 million annual members cumulatively since 1965 and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor as a successful model of employer-driven workforce development. For more information about SkillsUSA visit https://www.skillsusa.org/