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(Dickson, TN) – Area Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) students from both the Dickson and Clarksville campuses recently brought home plenty of hardware after participating in the annual SkillsUSA state competition.
Thirty students from both campuses made the trip to Chattanooga March 19th-21st for the annual statewide championships and returned with 15 medals, 7 of them gold.
The award winners competed alongside 2500 other TCAT and secondary participants from across the state in 106 contests, demonstrating their talents in multiple career areas including manufacturing, hospitality, construction, welding, graphic design, photography, computer information technology and health care. Tennessee has over 11,000 students and professional SkillsUSA members annually.
SkillsUSA is an applied method of instruction for preparing America’s high-performance workers in public career and technical programs. It provides quality education experiences for technical school students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. It builds and reinforces self-confidence, work attitudes, teamwork and communication.
Students at the competition commented that this experience gives them confidence to move forward in their career and it’s challenging and satisfying to be able to go and compete and represent their schools.
State winners for TCAT Dickson and Clarksville Campuses are as follows:
Gold:
Salvatore Evangelista – CNC Milling and Turning – Gold Medal/Clarksville campus
Zac Hildreth – CNC Turning – Gold Medal/Clarksville campus
Steven Miller – Photography – Gold Medal/Clarksville campus
Kathleen Cusick, Jessalyn Lewis and Christopher Caldwell/ Career Pathways Showcase: Arts and Communication – Gold Medal/Clarksville campus
Ty Loague – T-Shirt Design – Gold Medal/Dickson campus
Ian Smith – Advertising – Gold Medal/Dickson campus
Michael Evans – Welding – Gold Medal/Dickson campus
Silver:
Zac Rosa – Pin Design/Silver Medal/Clarksville campus
Bayleigh Hughes, Amber Patrick, and Jody Reaves – Career Pathways Showcase: Health Services – Silver Medal/Dickson campus
Bronze:
Jenny Bise – Prepared Speech– Bronze Medal/ Clarksville campus
Scott Kas – Industrial Motor Controls – Bronze Medal/Clarksville campus
Victor Rodriguez – Welding Sculpture – Bronze Medal/Clarksville campus
Lynette Simons – Customer Service – Bronze Medal/Dickson campus
Helen Sisco – Practical Nursing – Bronze Medal/Dickson campus
Robert Holmes – Information Technology Services – Bronze Medal/Dickson campus
Gold winners now move on to the national SkillsUSA contest In Louisville, KY June 25th through 29th.
Students were beyond proud when asked about their experiences. "My experience at the State competition was amazing. I was reunited with friends that I made at the previous competition and was I able to walk home with the gold medal for the T-shirt design."
Salvatore Evangelista, a Machine Tool Technology student, said of his experience, “Don’t take these competitions for granted. Take a step back and look around, you will never see more knowledge, skills, and raw talent in one place.” TCAT Dickson Clarksville campus instructor said, “I really enjoy seeing the students apply the skills they learned in the MTT program, it validates that what I teach is relevant and that that they will be ready for the job day ONE!” Lastly, from another gold medal winner, Zach Hildreath, “the amount of people and the talent alone in the room was intense, I liked that even though we were all there for a competition everyone was helpful before and after! I would recommend that everyone strives to compete in Skills USA.
Tennessee has over 11,000 students and professional SkillsUSA members annually. Students participate in various activities throughout the year including leadership training, community service and competition. To learn more about SkillsUSA Tennessee State Association visit www.tnpsskillsusa.org .
TCAT Dickson is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution, is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education, and complies with non-discrimination laws: Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, and ADA. Located on Highway 46 in Dickson, the technical training college also has extension campuses in Clarksville, Ashland City and Franklin. Additional information about the school is located at www.TCATDickson.edu.
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Figure 1: Gold Medal Winner CNC Technician Salvatore Evangelista (left)
Figure 2 Gold Medal Winner CNC Turning Zach Hildreth (middle)
Figure 3 Gold Medal Photography Steven Miller (left)
Figure 4 Gold Medal Career Pathways Showcase Arts and Communication
Jessalyn Lewis, Kathleen Cusick, Christopher Caldwell (left to right)
Figure 5 Gold Medal T-Shirt Design Ty Loague (Middle)
Figure 6 Advertising Design Gold Medal Ian Smith
Figure 7 Welding Gold Michael Evans (middle)
Figure 8 Career Pathways Showcase Health Services Silver
Bayleigh Hughes, Jody Reaves, Amber Patrick (left to right)
Figure 9 Prepared Speech Bronze Medal Jenny Bise (right)
Figure 10 Industrial Motor Controls Bronze Medal Scott Kas (right)
Figure 11 Welding Sculpture Bronze Medal Victor Rodriguez (right)
Figure 12 Customer Service Bronze Medal Lynette Simmons (right)
Figure 13 Practical Nursing Bronze Medal Helen Sisco (left)
Figure 14 Information Technology Services Bronze Medal Robert Holmes (right)
