SOWELA Students Bring Home 18 Medals at State Competition
Lake Charles, Louisiana – Tuesday, April 8
Six SOWELA Technical Community College students will advance to the National SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta, GA this summer after winning gold at last week’s state contest. In total, 18 students medaled in 13 competitions.
Leading the way with gold medals were John Pruden in CNC Programming; Aaron Burleigh and Pedro Carlucci in Video Production; Sofia Castilla in T-shirt Design; Casey Jones and James Linton in Audio Production; Madeleine Guillory in Advertising Design; and Caitlyn Dionne in Photography.
Silver medalists included Conner Harper and Nicholas Daigle in Video Production; Quinn Carmello in T-shirt Design; Lauren May in Baking and Pastry Arts; Connor Couvillion and Matt Dye in Digital Cinema Production; Lily Hebert and Sophie Candler in Audio Production; Matt Upmeyer in Pin Design; and Cathryn Dionne in Advertising Design.
Bronze medals were awarded to Olivia Nunez in Baking and Pastry Arts; Morgan Wardle in Pin Design; Andrew Brooks in Culinary Arts; Angelle Patton in Photography; and Shawn Olson in Welding.
“I am incredibly proud of our students. Once again, we had a student place in the top three of each contest we competed in, showcasing the strength and consistency of SOWELA’s programs year after year,” said SOWELA Instructor and SkillsUSA Advisor Darrell Buck. “Now, our gold medalists will continue their journey to Nationals in Atlanta, and I am confident they will make us proud on the national stage.”
Industry, trade associations and labor organizations help run the contests and set test competencies. Gold medalists advance to the national SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta, GA in June to compete with state winners nationwide.
Registration is open for the 2025 Summer and Fall terms. Interested individuals can apply now at www.sowela.edu/apply. Students are encouraged to register early for more scheduling options. Scholarships and financial aid are available for those who qualify. For assistance, contact the One Stop Enrollment Office at (337) 421-6550 or onestop@sowela.edu.
SOWELA is ranked the #1 community college in Louisiana by WalletHub based on Cost & Financing, Education Outcomes and Career Outcomes. It also ranks in the top 40% of community colleges nationally.
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a vital solution to the growing U.S. skills gap. The nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry ensures America has the skilled workforce it needs to stay competitive. Endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education, the association serves more than 335,000-member students and instructors each year in middle schools, high schools and colleges. This diverse talent pipeline covers 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, the majority STEM-related. More than 600 corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions actively support SkillsUSA at the national level. SkillsUSA empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens as it improves the quality of our nation’s future skilled workforce. SkillsUSA supports its student members through the development of SkillsUSA Framework skills that include personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. Local, state and national championships, designed and judged by industry, set relevant standards for career and technical education and provide recognition opportunities for students. SkillsUSA also offers technical skill assessments and workplace credentials through the SkillsUSA Career Essentials program, a cutting-edge solution that defines, implements and measures career readiness skills for students.
About SOWELA Technical Community College
SOWELA Technical Community College offers dynamic instruction and practical learning opportunities that prepare students to seamlessly transfer or to excel in today’s workforce. For more information, visit www.sowela.edu.