Triple Crown, Hat-trick, Three-run homer… There needs to be a name for winning all three competitions because that is what Vol State students did two weeks ago!
Eight Vol State students, coached by Bradley Tracy, Tim Anschuetz, and Jonathan Pinkerton, took part in SkillsUSA. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, educators, and industry workers that come together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. They do this by understanding what skills need to be taught for maximum potential in students transitioning out of school and into their careers.
“SkillsUSA allows the students to use the skills they have been learning, and it validates the education they have been getting here at Vol State” said Bradley, Criminal Justice Department Director.
There were a large variety of skills tested, but the students representing Vol State participated in three different sections (all of which they won): Information Technology Services (ITS), Criminal Justice (CJ), and Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). They have been practicing since the fall semester, some prior to that, to be ready for their competition this spring. The level of opportunity for participating students to connect with the workforce was large, and this year there were around 1,800 students taking advantage of it in competition.
Assistant Chief of Campus Police, Tim, said, “When we walked into the exhibition hall, my jaw dropped because there was every competition you could think of in which you can display skills: building brick walls, masonry, construction, aircraft mechanics, creative writing, public speaking, and so much more. Beyond that, the halls were lined with people giving job opportunities.”
The participating students at this year’s competition were (pictured from left to right): Chris Montini (1st Place in ITS), Hussein Alhawamdeh, Sydney Mattern (1st Place in CJ), Jacob Garret, Arlett Gonzalez (1st Place Team in CSI), Jasmine Harrison (1st Place Team in CSI), Estela Flores (1st Place Team in CSI), and Iboro Philip. Congratulations to all students for competing and to Bradley, Tim, and Jonathan for coaching!
Listen to students and coaches talk about their experience at SkillsUSA on the Vol State Chat - via Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and other podcast sites. First-place students will be attending the National SkillsUSA competition this summer, June 20-24, in Atlanta, GA. If you are a student or faculty member who is interested in participating in SkillsUSA next year, reach out to: bradley.tracy@volstate.edu
