Dozens of Illinois students are celebrating national success this summer, thanks to their experience for workforce development through SkillsUSA Illinois.
Illinois set a record with 100 students finishing in the top 10 at the recent SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held in late June in Atlanta, Georgia.
Students from 26 Illinois junior high school, high school and college chapters of SkillsUSA Illinois placed highly against more than 6,000 students from across the nation in a competition area as large as 31 football fields, as part of an Illinois delegation that topped 300 students.
Eight students earned gold medal top honors as national champions, with another eight finishing second and 10 finishing third.
All the competing students had spent the year preparing for the career competitions through SkillsUSA’s hands-on training in their own classrooms, then local and regional competitions and finally advancing to the state championships in late April in Peoria. The top finishers there advanced to the national event. More information about the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference is available at https://www.nlsc.skillsusa.org/.
The National Championships event wraps up a successful year for SkillsUSA Illinois with more encouraging news ahead. The new state budget includes millions of dollars in new funding to support career and technical education (CTE) programs like SkillsUSA, which will allow them to expand their offerings into more schools in new communities.
Students in SkillsUSA chapters learn a variety of skills to prepare them for career success in fields that don’t necessarily require a four-year college degree but need skilled training beyond high school in everything from manufacturing and health care to electronics, cosmetology and much more.
“We are ecstatic to see the tremendous results of our students, and to have so many perform at the top of their fields against thousands of their peers from across the United States,” SkillsUSA Illinois Executive Director Eric Hill said.
“Regardless of their field of study, our students have shown a determination and passion to perform under pressure that will open many doors for them to succeed, hopefully right here in Illinois. We thank Gov. Pritzker, the Legislature and our many partners in Illinois – from Caterpillar and the City of Peoria to our employers and labor organizations – who wholeheartedly support our mission and help us reach more students to provide more life-changing opportunities. The SkillsUSA experience is thriving and growing, and we are excited for what is ahead.”
A list of SkillsUSA Illinois top-10 finishers at the national event is included below.
TOP-10 FINISHERS BY SCHOOL
Central Illinois
- Bloomington Area Career Center - Bloomington, IL
- Brynn Hoder (Pin Design), 2nd Place
- Jayla Westhoff (Cosmetology), 4th Place
- Clinton Junior High School - Clinton, IL
- Christopher Morge (Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue), 6th Place
- Nate Tull (Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue), 6th Place
- Illinois Central College - East Peoria, IL
- Noah Wynkoop (Diesel Equipment Technology), 1st Place
- Trevor Vincent (Graphic Imaging Sublimation), 1st Place
- Morton High School - Morton, IL
- Emma Belsly (Additive Manufacturing), 3rd Place
- Ethan Cross (Additive Manufacturing), 3rd Place
- ·Heartland Community College - Normal, IL
- Tallon Short (T-Shirt Design), 6th Place
- Andy Irving (Telecommunication Cabling), 8th Place
- Pekin Community High School - Pekin, IL
- Carter Williamson (Cyber Security), 1st Place
- Ronan Scott (Cyber Security), 1st Place
- Tyler Olsen (Information Technology Services), 1st Place
- Kent Olson (Mobile Electronics Installation), 4th Place
- Zane Scott (Telecommunication Cabling), 5th Place
- Alexander Holmes (Television Video Production), 6th Place
- Logan Booth (Television Video Production), 6th Place
- Peoria Public Schools - Peoria, IL
- RC Thomas (Community Action Project), 8th Place
- Ryan Medley (Community Action Project), 8th Place
- Carver Community Center - Peoria, IL
- Rayniah Anderson (Job Skill Demonstration OPEN), 6th Place
- Capital Area Career Center - Springfield, IL
- Noah Biller (Sheet Metal), 1st Place
- MacKenzie Miller (T-Shirt Design), 6th Place
Chicago
- · Thomas Kelly College Prep - Chicago, IL
- Adrian Uribe (Customer Service), 7th Place
- Armando Perez (Opening and Closing Ceremonies), 7th Place
- Brendan Tang (Opening and Closing Ceremonies), 7th Place
- David Hernandez (Opening and Closing Ceremonies), 7th Place
- Dulce Parades (Opening and Closing Ceremonies), 7th Place
- Esmeralda Pineda (Opening and Closing Ceremonies), 7th Place
- Ethan Li (Opening and Closing Ceremonies), 7th Place
- Marleny Marquez (Opening and Closing Ceremonies), 7th Place
DuPage County (suburban Chicago)
- · Technology Center of DuPage - Addison, IL
- Marielle Vega (Nail Care), 5th Place
- Jared Gonzalez (Barbering), 9th Place
- York Community High School - Elmhurst, IL
- Panos Soupos (Technical Drafting), 4th Place
Metro East
- Southwestern Illinois College - Belleville, IL
- Robert Wingerter (CNC 3-Axis Milling Programmer), 4th Place
- Jared Simmons (CNC 2-Axis Turning Programmer), 5th Place
- Zachary Painter (CNC Programmer), 6th Place
- Anna Nichols (Nurse Assisting), 7th Place
- Cody Croxford (Automated Manufacturing Technology), 8th Place
- Jacob Curvey (Automated Manufacturing Technology) 8th Place
- Lucas Gregson (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration), 8th Place
- Mattison Lienemann (Automated Manufacturing Technology), 8th Place
North Suburbs of Chicagoland
- College of Lake County - Grayslake, IL
- Stephany Amador (Criminal Justice), 2nd Place
- Sam Soulari (Culinary Arts), 4th Place
- Tessia Milkie (Early Childhood Education), 6th Place
- Lindsey Clements (Crime Scene Investigation), 7th Place
- Yahaira Garcia (Crime Scene Investigation), 7th Place
- Zulma Mendoza (Crime Scene Investigation), 7th Place
- Lake County Tech Campus - Grayslake, IL
- Allison Wenzel (Career Pathways Showcase: Health Services), 3rd Place
- Ashley Bridges (Career Pathways Showcase: Health Services), 3rd Place
- Nicholas Lunsford (Career Pathways Showcase: Health Services), 3rd Place
- Giovanni Tate (Early Childhood Education), 6th Place
- Keaton Johnson (Emergency Medical Technician), 6th Place
- Max Glusic (Emergency Medical Technician), 6th Place
- Janeth Castanon (Medical Assisting), 7th Place
Northern Illinois
- Kishwaukee Education Consortium - Malta, IL
- Abel Huerta (Job Skill Demonstration A), 2nd Place
- Addison McGlaughlin (Health Occupations Professional Portfolio), 4th Place
- Chris Thorne (Diesel Equipment Technology), 7th Place
- Kishwaukee College - Malta, IL
- Cole Willke (Heavy Equipment Operator), 1st Place
- Lily Goode (Power Equipment Technology), 8th Place
- Carl Sandburg College - Galesburg, IL
- Gavin Gerard (Masonry), 3rd Place
- Brian Kipchemis (Medical Math), 6th Place
- Faith Kiprop (Technical Computer Applications), 7th Place
- Kankakee Area Career Center - Bourbonnais, IL
South Suburbs of Chicago
- Lockport Township High School East - Lockport, IL
- Emily Do (Architectural Drafting), 1st Place
- Krista Wojcikiewicz (Engineering Technology Design), 5th Place
- Lia Merkel (Engineering Technology Design), 5th Place
- Stephen Reuter (Engineering Technology Design), 5th Place
- Abel Torres (TeamWorks), 8th Place
- Bartosz Leja (TeamWorks), 8th Place
- Patrick Jerabek (TeamWorks), 8th Place
- Ryan Ebert (TeamWorks), 8th Place
- Andrew Finley (3-D Visualization and Animation), 10th Place
- Jessica Ing (3-D Visualization and Animation), 10th Place
- Peotone High School - Peotone, IL
- Augustyn Price (Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue), 8th Place
- Xavier Villalobos (Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue), 8th Place
- Peotone Junior High School - Peotone, IL
- Kaleb Schirmer (Team Engineering Challenge), 2nd Place
- Kohen Schirmer (Team Engineering Challenge), 2nd Place
- Quinn McCleverty (Team Engineering Challenge), 2nd Place
- Jaida DeMoss (Prepared Speech), 6th Place
West Suburbs of Chicago
- · Metea Valley High School - Aurora, IL
- Ajay Kavuri (Mobile Robotics Technology), 3rd Place
- SaiManidhar Mutyala (Mobile Robotics Technology), 3rd Place
- Nitin Gopala (Medical Math), 3rd Place
- Shunya Patel (Prepared Speech), 5th Place
- Pranav Tummala (Dental Assisting), 10th Place
- West Aurora High School - Aurora, IL
- Diana Garcia (Practical Nursing), 4th Place
- Brian Wolfe (Welding Fabrication), 6th Place
- Max Balsitis (Welding Fabrication), 6th Place
- Daniel Vasquez-Garcia (Automated Manufacturing Technology), 6th Place
- Jayden Crete (CNC Programmer), 7th Place
- Nicholas Morales (Automated Manufacturing Technology), 7th Place
- Tyler Pozzi (Automated Manufacturing Technology), 7th Place
- Oswego High School - Oswego, IL
- Phoenix Goldstein (Restaurant Service), 3rd Place
- Indian Valley Vocational Center - Sandwich, IL
- Charis Davidson (Medical Terminology), 2nd Place
- Brandon Iskowitz (Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair), 6th Place
- Waubonsee Community College - Sugar Grove, IL
- Aleah Sauder (Automotive Refinishing Technology), 2nd Place
- Daniel Conti (Entrepreneurship), 6th Place
- Jake Guernon (Entrepreneurship), 6th Place
- Mark Price (Entrepreneurship), 6th Place
- Ryan Fotre (Entrepreneurship), 6th Place
- Julian Flores (Sheet Metal), 7th Place
- Joshua Kovar (Automotive Service Technology), 8th Place
