ECC Students Win Gold Medals at SkillsUSA Nationals
Edgecombe Community College students won two first-place awards at the national SkillsUSA conference held the last week in June. ECC student competitors were (from left) Emilee Moore, Chap Lachapelle, Emily Brake, Garrett Parker, Wardell Clark, Haley Sumerlin, and Brian Rodriquez.
For the third year in a row, Edgecombe Community College students brought home gold from the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held June 25-29 in Louisville, Kentucky.
One individual and one team brought home gold medals, finishing first in the nation in their competitions. The conference is a showcase of career and technical education students.
Garrett Parker won first place in the Principles of Engineering & Technology competition.
Also capturing a first place award were Emily Brake, Chap Lachapelle, and Emilee Moore, members of the Career Pathways Showcase – Industrial and Engineering Technology team.
Wardell Clark, Haley Sumerlin, and Brian Rodriquez competed strongly as a team in the Career Pathways Showcase – Human Services competition.
“We are so proud of this inspiring group of students,” says Trey Cherry, a SkillsECC advisor and chair of Information Technology Studies. “They were outstanding competitors and representatives of Edgecombe Community College.”
Other team advisors were ECC instructors Rick Basile, Timothy Boyd, and Rebecca Stamilio Ehret.
Students who finish first in select events at the SkillsUSA state competition are eligible to compete at the national level. Edgecombe Community College students won six first-place honors at the SkillsUSA North Carolina State Leadership and Skills Conference in April.
At the national conference, more than 6,000 outstanding career and technical education students competed in 100 different trade, technical, and leadership events.
Students worked against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting, and culinary arts.
Mike Rowe, TV host of “Dirty Jobs” and “Somebody’s Gotta Do It” and CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, gave the keynote address at Friday evening’s awards ceremony.