Fayetteville Technical Community College students put their skills to the test against competitors from across the state last month at the SkillsUSA North Carolina State Conference and earned top finishes in 18 categories.
More than 3,100 college, high school, and middle school students competed in the conference, which was held in Greensboro on April 15-17 and challenged students to prove their skills in more than 140 career and technical education contests.
All contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations and technical experts and test competencies that are set by industry.
Twenty-three students from FTCC’s SkillsUSA Chapter placed in their respective categories, with five competitors finishing first in four contests.
FTCC top finishers:
- Jaheim Whitehead and Trey White — 1st place, 3-D Visualization and Animation
- Trinity Simms — 1st place, Anything But Hair
- Adriana Dominguez — 1st place, Nail Care
- Trenton Garris — 1st place, Skilled Showcase-Carpentry
- Erin Hoffman and Campbell Lloyd — 2nd place, Interactive Application & Video Game Development
- Juan Overcash — 2nd place, Restaurant Service
- Nichole DeJesus-Ruiz — 3rd, Cosmetology Beginner Skills
- Sarah Richardson — 3rd place, Skilled Showcase-Cosmetology
- Lanise Porto — 3rd place, Nail Care
- Logan Allen — 3rd place, Plumbing
- Jazmine Legall — 3rd place, T-Shirt Design
- Brendan Conley and Skyler Gentry — 3rd place, Video (TV) Production
- Emily Peralta — 4th place, Automotive Refinishing Technology
- Michael Simms — 4th place, Carpentry
- Gillyn Taft — 4th place, Hair Coloring
- Elizabeth “Til” Middleton — 4th place, Pin Design
- Monique Sankey — 5th place, Baking and Pastry Arts
- Kwami Locks — 5th place, Carpentry
- Arin Huffstetler — 5th place, Collision Repair Technology
- Brennan Stanfield — 5th place, Electrical Construction Wiring
FTCC’s SkillsUSA Chapter was recognized as a bronze-level Chapter of Distinction.
The students were supported at the conference by advisors from their areas of study.
“We want to offer a huge thank you to our advisors for their dedication and hard work in ensuring our students were fully prepared, confident, and ready for the conference,” said Tiffany Lesane, FTCC’s Career Development Coordinator. “I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to our departmental deans, for their unwavering support to our students.”
First place winners in select categories earn the right to compete in the National SkillsUSA Championships this summer in Atlanta, Ga., alongside more than 7,700 other competitors from across the country in over 100 contests.
