Edgecombe Students Medal at SkillsUSA Nationals
The Edgecombe Community College SkillsUSA team brought home three medals from the recent national SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta. From left are (front row) faculty advisors Rebecca Stamilio Ehret, Johnica Ellis-Kiser, and Trey Cherry, and (back row) student competitors Daniel Espinoza Hernandez, Payden Kiser, Ewan Poyner, Brody Hoke, and Carlos Rojas Gabriel.
Edgecombe Community College SkillsUSA competitors brought home a silver medal and two bronze medals from the National Leadership and Skills Conference held June 24-28 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Payden Kiser (Edgecombe Early College High School) won a silver medal in the Principles of Engineering – Technology – Post Secondary competition with his project presentation “Electromagnetic Spectrum – Radio Waves Applied to iGate and the APRS Network.”
Brody Hoke (Edgecombe Early College High School) won a bronze medal in the Principles of Engineering – Technology – High School competition with his project presentation “High Altitude Balloon System Programming.”
Carlos Rojas Gabriel (Edgecombe Early College High School), Daniel Espinoza Hernandez (Edgecombe Early College High School), and Ewan Poyner, (North East Carolina Preparatory School), members of the Career Pathways Showcase – Industrial and Engineering Technology – Post Secondary team, brought home a bronze medal for their project presentation “CubeSat Development for High Altitude Ballooning.”
Faculty advisors for the competitions were Trey Cherry, Rebecca Stamilio Ehret, and Johnica Ellis-Kiser.
All of this year’s national competitors were members of critECCly stable, ECC’s high altitude ballooning team.
The SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference is the world’s largest showcase of skilled trades. More than 6,000 state champions from across the United States competed head-to-head in 115 skilled and leadership competitions. Competitions were held in the Georgia World Congress Center, with the awards ceremony held in State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks.
In addition to the competitions, students interacted with employers and vendors and networked with peers from across the country. ECC’s contingent also visited the Georgia Aquarium, the Fernbank Science Center, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park.
“ECC takes great pride in the way our students represent themselves and the college on a state and national stage. It has been an honor to work with these scholars over the past academic year and to share this opportunity with them. We are thankful for the continued support of everyone who had a hand in making this experience possible,” says Trey Cherry, a SkillsUSA faculty advisor.
The national competition was the capstone of a contest that began with a state competition in April. Forty-three students and eleven instructors participated in the statewide competition held in Greensboro. ECC students won eleven awards, including five gold medals, at the state level.
In May, college officials hosted a reception for the state winners, their families, and faculty advisors.
Principles of Engineering and Career Pathways Showcase are national level competitions. Students who capture gold in these state categories compete at the national conference.