Five Pellissippi State students have earned national acclaim for their performances at the annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. Gabe Dunn earned a gold medal for the Internet of Things: Smart Home; Jadon Devito and Alanna Murphy earned a silver medal for 3D Visualization and Animation; and Hamilton Baker and Harrison Huber earned a bronze medal for Digital Cinema Production.
In addition, students Camille Ellis and Alyssa Goldmann finished 5th in TV Video Production, and Isaac Bean and Bruce Hairston finished 7th in Audio Radio Production during the events that took place June 24-28 in Atlanta.
The annual SkillsUSA conference is an opportunity for career and technical education students in high school or a two-year college to compete in hands-on competitions beginning at the state level, and those who succeed move forward to compete nationally.
Student Engagement and Leadership Director Sharon Couch said faculty advisors Aaron Roy, Kent McQuilkin, Katie Lovette, Jonathan Maness and Sharleen Foster were instrumental in helping students ready themselves to compete with the 16,000 student participants. Prior to the event, students completed professional development testing and prepared their projects during a two-week online submission window
“Our faculty and students represented us so well and demonstrated why we are among the top chapters in the state,” Couch said. “The time, effort and commitment of all who were involved speaks so well about what it means to be a Pellissippi Panther.”
Tennessee SkillsUSA was recognized as having the largest membership growth of any state organization and designed a pink Cadillac pin that earned a gold medal and “was the most sought after pin in the country,” Couch said.
Throughout the week students demonstrated their abilities in service and competition working against the clock as they competed in a variety of fields including audio radio production, TV video production, welding, culinary arts, nursing, criminal justice, graphic design and engineering. They also competed in leadership events showcasing their talents for interviewing, speaking extemporaneously and conducting meetings using parliamentary procedures.
The top three student winners in each category receive gold, silver, and bronze medallions.