(Lake Charles, Louisiana – July 14, 2023)
SOWELA Technical Community College students recently participated in the SkillsUSA National Championships in Atlanta, GA. More than 6,000 students attended, of which nine SOWELA students competed in eight competitions, placing in two of those contests. Digital Arts and Communication students Connor Couvillion and Matthew Dye won Gold in the Television Production team competition. Digital Arts and Communications student Madeleine Guillory won Silver in Advertising Design.
“As their advisor, I’m extremely proud of these students,” said SkillsUSA Advisor and Digital Art and Communications Instructor Darrell Buck. “It takes a lot of courage and hard work to compete at Nationals. These students spent hours outside of class working and practicing for Nationals, and it’s always nice when the results pay off.”
The national event, by invitation only, was for first-place state medalists from across the U.S. in 110 competition areas for career and technical students. It is the most significant skills competition in the world for high school and college-level students who are members of SkillsUSA.
During the competition, students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in their chosen occupations. All contests run with the help of industry partners and assess in-demand skills and competencies. The annual event draws an estimated 15,000 students, teachers and education leaders.
Each SOWELA student who places at the national competition will receive a SOWELA Foundation scholarship.
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a vital solution to the growing U.S. skills gap. This nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry ensures America has the skilled workforce it needs to stay competitive. Founded in 1965 and endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education, the association serves more than 300,000 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 programs are integrated into career and technical education through a framework of 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 needed recognition to its students. SkillsUSA also offers technical skill assessments and other workplace credentials. For more information, visit the SkillsUSA website.
About SOWELA Technical Community College
SOWELA Technical Community College provides traditional, distance, and lifelong learning experiences and awards associate degrees, technical diplomas, and certificates. The College empowers career and technical education learners and enables transfer students to pursue a four-year degree, so all learners excel as globally competitive citizens. The College has been educating the region’s workforce for 85 years.
