Seventeen Students Qualify for 2024 SkillsUSA National Championships

Twenty-seven Wayne State College students earned high marks with 17 of them qualifying for the SkillsUSA National Championships during the Nebraska SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference held April 11-13 in Grand Island.

Wayne State’s national qualifiers will compete in SkillsUSA’s National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) June 24-28 in Atlanta.

National qualifiers and their categories are:

Urban Search and Rescue
Columbus – Hailey Hoffman
Norfolk – John Mann

Chapter Display
Craig – Jon Dixon
Papillion – Zach Covington
South Sioux City – Sarahi Lopez

Cabinetmaking
Wakefield – Jeremiah Chase

Information Technology
Seward – Aaron Ford

Prepared Speech
David City – Hannah Woolsey

Crime Scene Investigation
Willemstad, Curaҫao – Kenjiro Pieters
Oto, Iowa – Teresa Johnson
Boelus – Rhegan Jensen

Job Interview
Bennington – Morgan Bird

Welding Sculpture
Paullina, Iowa – Makenzie Meyer

First Aid/CPR
Schuyler – Maddie Prochaska

Job Skill Demo
Thedford – Ariel Bryant

Promotional Bulletin Board
Salina, Kan. – Grace Ballou
Papillion – Sienna Balwanz

Students who placed at the state competition and their categories are:

T-Shirt Design – First place
Albion – Landin Pribnow

TeamWorks – Third place
Farramere Gauteng, South Africa – Michael Szigethy
Armour, S.D. – Micah Leonard
Broken Bow – Nolan Johnson
Syracuse – Jackson Nordhues

Inter-networking – Second place
Columbus – Brandon Berger

Advertising Design – Third place
Atlanta, Ga. – Rodger Meraz

Firefighting – Second place
Dixon – Joe Grone

First Aid/CPR – Second place
Merrill, Iowa – Emily Wilson

Prepared Speech – Second place
David City – Olivia Perske

Wayne State student Zach Covington, president of SkillsUSA at Wayne State, said all of the hard work and preparation by students has been rewarded.

“We’ve had a lot of years of growth here at Wayne State College, and it’s great that we can get the college some visibility on the national level,” said Covington, a junior from Papillion who is majoring in skills and technical sciences at Wayne State. “I went through the entire year with my peers and it’s great that we get to go to nationals together. All the hard work from practice, preparation, and fundraisers has paid off, and it's great that I get to see my friends succeed.”

SkillsUSA’s National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) is the largest gathering of America’s future skilled workforce and the ultimate recognition of excellence in career and technical education. Held in Atlanta each June, the NLSC is a week-long celebration of the skilled trades and the accomplishments of career-ready leaders from across the United States. The event brings together more than 16,000 attendees, including students, instructors, industry partners, government officials, administrators and more, according to the SkillsUSA website.

The highlight of the NLSC is the SkillsUSA Championships, where more than 6,000 state champions compete for national gold, silver and bronze medals in 115 skilled and leadership competitions.

The SkillsUSA organization helps students develop personal skills such as integrity, work ethic, professionalism, responsibility, adaptability, flexibility, self-motivation. Students involved also gain communication, decision making, teamwork, multicultural sensitivity and awareness, planning, organizing and management and leadership skills.