GTCC SHINES AT SkillsUSA COMPETITION 19 GTCC students win first place

Erskin Tillery of Greensboro won first place in the SkillsUSA

Telecommunications Cabling contest.

He won a bronze medal in the same category at the national

contest (pictured here) last year.

From left to right Heather Mathis and Jazmine Wilkerson

won third place in the SkillsUSA Fantasy Hair and Makeup contest.

By Carla Kucinski

Guilford Technical Community College shined last week at the SkillsUSA North Carolina State Conference in Greensboro, where 19 GTCC students placed first in the competition. Seventeen of those students are eligible to compete in the 50^th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) June 23-27 in Kansas City, Mo.

This year, 69 GTCC students competed in 26 contest areas including automotive, aviation, CNC milling and CNC turning, criminal justice, cosmetology, dental assisting, carpentry and collision repair. Of the 69 who competed, 43 placed in the top five in their respective contests. The competition was held April 9-11 at the Greensboro Coliseum, Joseph S. Koury Convention Center as well as GTCC’s Jamestown and Greensboro campuses.  

GTCC students Kyle Gibbons of High Point and Jason Herrera of Jamestown won second place in the Mechatronics contest. This is the first time GTCC students have competed in this category. Mechatronics uses a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering, electronics, information technology and intelligent systems in the design of products and computer integrated automation systems.

“Students like Kyle and Jason are the cornerstone of the mechatronics program. I’m very proud of them and our faculty who helped prepare them,” said Adrian Wright, SkillsUSA advisor and department chair of mechatronics at GTCC. “The preparation for the contest happens inside and outside of the classroom. In the classroom they learn theory and get hands-on experience; outside the classroom they meet two to three times a week reinforcing and testing theory against their own designs. Competing in SkillsUSA definitely increased their confidence level. They are tested under pressure and are forced to work together as a team. Our local industry is looking for these types of students.”

GTCC student Erskin Tillery of Greensboro returned to the competition this year, winning first place in Telecommunications Cabling. Tillery won a bronze medal in Telecommunication Cabling at the national contest last year.

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. Through its local, state and national competitions, students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills.

The following GTCC students placed fifth or higher in this year’s SkillsUSA North Carolina State Conference:

·      Carly Bell of Greensboro, Advertising Design, first

·      Jua Yang of Greensboro, Advertising Design, second

·      Trevor Dixon  of High Point, Advertising Design, fourth

·      Sharif Diaz of High Point, Auto Refinishing Technology (Collision Repair Painting), first

·      Gabrielle Baker of Whitsett, Auto Refinishing Technology (Collision Repair Painting), third

·      Cody Wright of Ridgeway, Va., Aviation Maintenance Technology, first

·      Thomas Therrien of Greensboro, Carpentry, third

·      Eric Voss of Trinity, Carpentry, fourth

·      Tricia Sutter of Greensboro, Carpentry, fifth

·      Kent Jerrett of Greensboro, CNC Milling, first

·      Justin Hyder of High Point, CNC Milling, second

·      David  Coble of Whitsett, Collision Repair Technology, first

·      Brandon Miller of Greensboro, Collision Repair Technology, second

·      Jeffrey Godbolt of Greensboro, Collision Repair Technology, fifth

·      Kaylyn Emerson of Winston-Salem, Commercial Baking, first

·      Brittney Shanks of Winston-Salem, Cosmetology I, first

·      Megan Simmons of High Point, Cosmetology I, second

·      Sara Apple of Greensboro,  Crime Scene Investigation, first (team event)

·      Dee Locklear of Greensboro, Crime Scene Investigation, first (team event)

·      Zachary Luckett of Summerfield, Crime Scene Investigation, first (team event)

·      Garrett Brand of Greensboro, Crime Scene Investigation, second (team event)

·      Amber Echerd of Trinity, Crime Scene Investigation, second (team event)

·      Stacy Garner of Kernersville, Crime Scene Investigation, second (team event)

·      Tanya Malinovsky of Walkertown, Criminal Justice, first

·      Adnan Bahadur of High Point, Criminal Justice, second

·      John Martin of Greensboro, Criminal Justice, third

·      Phillip Thompson of Pfafftown, Culinary Arts, first

·      Jessica Clifton of Eden, Dental Assisting, first

·      Heather Mathis of Greensboro, Fantasy Hair and Makeup, third

·      Jazmine Wilkerson of Greensboro (model), Fantasy Hair and Makeup, third

·      Amanda Heaston of High Point, Health Occupations Professional Portfolio (Dental Assisting), first

·      Amy Canady of Greensboro, Job Skill Demonstration A (Dental Assisting), second

·      Kyle Gibbons of High Point, Mechatronics, second (team event)

·      Jason Herrera of Jamestown, Mechatronics, second (team event)

·      Iva Hicks of Greensboro, Men's Haircutting, first

·      Renise Roseborough of Winston-Salem, Nail Care, first

·      Erika Powell-Bullard of Winston-Salem (model), Nail Care, first

·      Randy Perdue of Greensboro, Precision Machining Technology, third

·      Jeremy Gilbert of Pleasant Garden, Precision Machining Technology, fourth

·      Sarah Mayer of Jamestown, Restaurant Service, first

·      Erskin Tillery of Greensboro, Telecommunications Cabling, first

·      Galen Wilson of Greensboro, Welding, second

·      Ryan Fitzgerald of Kernersville, Welding, third

Guilford Technical Community College is the third largest of 58 institutions in the NC Community College System. GTCC serves more than 40,000 students annually from four major campuses and three specialized centers. Learn more at www.gtcc.edu.