Thirteen Cuesta students medal at SkillsUSA state competition
Four students are advancing to the national championships
Thirteen of Cuesta College’s CTE students medaled at the SkillsUSA California 48th Annual State Leadership and Skill Conference, held April 8-12 in San Diego. The students medaled in 12 categories and recieved five gold medals, four silver, and three bronze. The four gold medalists are now qualified to advance to the 51st Annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, KY, June 22-26.
“Every Cuesta College student who attended this year medaled, meaning they are all in the top three in the state,” said John Stokes, Cuesta College’s engineering and technology division chair, who oversees the college’s SkillsUSA team. “There were 2,207 competitors this year, the most ever for California, making it the most competitive. Our CTE students prove again and again that they are the best of the best.”
The award results are:
• Gold medal: Austin Feavel, collision refinishing
• Gold medal: Ethan Moskoff, collision repair
• Gold medal: Grace Stokes, commercial baking
• Gold medal: Grace Stokes, prepared speech
• Gold medal: Noah Yoshida, culinary arts
• Silver medal: Jason Wolverton, electrical construction wiring
• Silver medal: Victoria Wilson, restaurant service
• Silver medal: Patrick Hickey, welding
• Silver medal: team of: Daniel Thoresen, Tim O’Clair, Jose Sanchez, welding fabrication
• Bronze medal: Javier Flores, electrical construction wiring
• Bronze medal: Daniel McFarlane, electronics
• Bronze medal: Marina Perry, commercial baking
“SkillsUSA not only teaches the technical skills that are required for employment, but also teaches the character, or ‘soft-skills,’ that are required in the workplace in order to keep a job,” said stokes. “Our CTE instruction here at Cuesta College is, and has for some time been, top shelf.”
In 2014, Cuesta College sent seven students to the national championships; a team of three placed first in welding fabrication. Two of the seven have qualified for the national championship this year: Austin Feavel and Grace Stokes.
In August of 2015, the WorldSkills International competition will take place in Brazil and involve more than 60 countries. For the second time in the last four years, Cuesta College will send one of its students to compete. Michael Mullen, representing the United States, will go for the gold in auto service technology. Earlier this year, Mullen participated in the WorldSkills Americas competition in Bogota, Colombia, where he placed second. Mullen also serves as California’s Post-Secondary President of the organization. In 2011, Cuesta student Daniel Lehmkuhl competed in automobile technology at WorldSkills International in London.
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