Wallace State has record number 1st-place finishers at SkillsUSA state competition

HANCEVILLE, ALA. –  Wallace State Community College continues to establish new heights in the SkillsUSA state competition.
Wallace State recently had a record 15 students finish first in their respective events, and the college earned the Highest Participation Award for the most students competing.
Students finishing first and earning a gold medal at the state skills competition were Melissa Kilpatrick, Anthony Martin and John Oliver in the Crime Scene Investigation category, Jared Chafin (CNC Turning Specialist), Justin Burnett (CNC Technician), Michael Mendonca (Diesel Equipment Technology), Nickolas Nuss (Electronic Technology), Corey Green and Cristal Rios-Ruiz (Robotics and Automation) and Cody Wimberly (Job Interview – Diesel Equipment Technology). Spa and salon management students Maegan Stegall, Taylor Chambers, Taylor Murphree, Allison Watts and Holly Benson each finished first in the Cosmetology Quiz Bowl.
“Wallace State students are superstars, and we are very proud of our SkillsUSA winners this year. It’s a great accomplishment to know we have the most 1st-place winners in the state and had the most participants,” said Jimmy Hodges, Wallace State’s Dean of Applied Technologies. “This competition always gives our students a chance to shine and showcase their skills. It’s exciting to know we will carry the most students ever from Wallace State to the national contest.”
With the exception of Wallace State’s Salon and Spa Management students, Wallace State will send its 1^st-place winners to the 52^nd annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Ky., from June 20-24, as each competes for placement on the national level. The Cosmetology Bowl is not offered at the national event.
Wallace State had 25 students finish third or better in their respective SkillsUSA competition, including the first-place winners. Wallace State students also earning medals were Chad Scott, 2^nd place in Automotive Refinishing Technology; Kyle Rice, second in CNC Technician; Brandi Sears, Vanessa Shedd and Breanna Sturtevant, all earning second place in Crime Scene Investigation; Gregory Milligan, 2^nd place in Electronic Technology; Marcus O’Hair, 2^nd in Open Job Skill Demonstration in Precision Machine Technology; Cody Barnhart, 3^rd place in CNC Milling Specialist; Ben Turney, 3^rd place in CNC Turning Specialist and Lucas Randolph in Job Skill Demonstration in Diesel Equipment Technology.
First-place winners earned gold medals, 2^nd earned silver and 3^rd place bronze. The event was held in Birmingham and at various locations around the state.
Wallace State’s Diesel Technology program produced a pair of gold winners, marking the first time it will send students to the national event.
Mendonca, a sophomore from Hanceville, prevailed in the Diesel Equipment Technology event and Wimberly in the Job Interview category.
“It’s a great feat for our program. We’ve been knocking on the door, and both Cody and Michael breezed through it and gave us our first champions,” said Jeremy Smith, Wallace State’s Diesel Technology Chair. “We’ve got a good shot at nationals with both of them.”
Wimberly said he was encouraged by Smith to enter the job interview category.
“I had a binder put together of all of my certifications and awards and treated it like a real job interview. I was asked what I thought would make me proficient in my line of work, and I explained how important it is to obtain a degree because of all of the new technologies coming out,” said Wimberly, who graduated from Priceville High. “The competition tested my soft skills, and I was interested in the event because I’m going to face a true job interview at some point and time.”
Wallace State is only in its second year of competing in the Crime Scene Investigation event, yet will send three criminal justice students to nationals for the second consecutive year, including Kilpatrick who has earned gold in back-to-back years.
“It’s nice to know we can be the foundation for criminal justice students in this event. We’re definitely ready to see if we can do better at the national competition than we did last year,” said Kilpatrick a sophomore from Oneonta. “We want to continue to give (criminal justice instructor) Thea Hall something to brag about.”
Kilpatrick will be joined by Oliver and Martin, both sophomores who earned gold as first-time competitors. Oliver is from Sumiton and Martin from Leeds.
The crime scene scenario this year was solving a domestic disturbance case. Last year, the crime scene was a double homicide. Students are required to photograph, measure, sketch, collect evidence and process a mock crime scene during the competition.
Chafin and Justin Burnett will each represent Wallace State’s Machine Tool Technology program in Kentucky, continuing the strong SkillsUSA tradition within the department. The Machine Tool Technology program has even produced a national medal winner in three of the last four years, including Vincent Ponder winning a bronze in 2014.
A year after finishing third in related technical math, Chafin prevailed as the winner in the CNC Turning Specialist category.
“I’m thrilled to be going to nationals after coming close last year. It’s going to be a great experience,” said Chafin, an Arab native.
Burnett is from West Point.
Nuss, Green and Rios-Ruiz will represent Wallace State’s Electronics Technology Department, marking the third time in four years the program has been represented with gold medal winners.
All 1^st-place winners will seek to join Joey Foster of welding (2009) and Matthew O’Neal of machine tool technology (2003) as Wallace State SkillsUSA national champions. James Foster (welding) and Vincent Ponder (precision machining) each finished third in the nation in 2014.
Wallace State’s students will be required to complete written and performance tests at the national tournament.
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, including health occupations. SkillsUSA serves more than 300,000 students and instructors annually. The organization has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations.
For more information about Wallace State, visit wallacestate.edu.

 

 

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Russell Moore
Staff Writer
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000, Hanceville, AL 35077
1-866-350-9722    256-352-8443 direct
Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu
 
Kristen Holmes
Communications & Marketing Director, and
Administrator, The Evelyn Burrow Museum
Wallace State Community College
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E-mail: kristen.holmes@wallacestate.edu
Office: 256.352.8118 | Cell: 256.339.2519 | Toll Free: 866.350.9722