Testing their skills against fellow state contest winners
from all over the country, Alfred State College students recently ended up
taking home gold and bronze medals, as well as a pair of top 10 finishes in the
55th annual National SkillsUSA Championship in Louisville, KY.
Brandon Meek, an electrical construction and maintenance
electrician major from Akron, was awarded a gold medal for first place in the
nation in the Electrical Construction Wiring (College) category. Receiving a
bronze medal for third place in the nation in Carpentry was Mitchell Davis, a
2019 building trades: building construction graduate from Bath who has
re-enrolled in Alfred State’s technology management major.
Other Alfred State students placing in the top 10 included
Ryan Lee, heavy equipment, truck and diesel technician, Depew (sixth place,
Automotive Service Technology) and Ryan Shipherd, masonry, Randolph (sixth
place, Masonry). Rounding out the 2019 Alfred State SkillsUSA Nationals team
were Justin Clark, autobody repair, Burlington Flats, who competed in the
Automotive Refinishing category; Steven Mazzone, heavy equipment, truck and
diesel technician, Marilla, who took part in the Diesel Equipment Technology
competition; and Allan Jones, welding technology, Farmersville Station, who
competed in the Welding category.
Alfred State College faculty and staff who accompanied the
students to Louisville included Jeffrey Stevens, dean of the School of Applied
Technology; Dr. Craig Clark, vice president for Economic Development; and
Daniel Acomb, instructor in the Automotive Trades Department. During the
competition, more than 6,400 students from around the country competed hands-on
in 103 different trade, technical, and leadership fields. Students work against
the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as
electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting,
and culinary arts.
Contests are run with the help of industry, trade
associations, and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by
industry. Leadership contestants demonstrate skills including extemporaneous
speaking and conducting meetings by parliamentary procedure. Top student
winners received gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes
such as tools of their trade and/or scholarships to further their careers and
education. The SkillsUSA Championships is for high school and college-level
students who are members of SkillsUSA.
High scorers in the contests received Skill Point
Certificates. The Skill Point Certificate was awarded in 72 occupational and
leadership areas to students who achieved a high score defined by industry. The
SkillsUSA Championships have been a premier event since 1967.
