Nine South Georgia Technical College students earned the right to travel to Kansas City, Missouri to compete in the Skills USA National Leadership and Skills Conference against the top students from technical college across the United States.

South Georgia Technical College had 30 students compete in the SkillsUSA State Competition in Augusta in April and brought home nine gold medals, six silver medals, and one bronze medal. The gold medal winners earned the right to travel to Kansas City, Missouri to compete at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.

The SGTC students who will be competing in individual events include: Cody Palmer of Andersonville, Practical Nursing; Tiffany Kitchens of Andersonville, Nurse Assisting; Zack Ledger of Americus, Medical Math; and Jerimey Johnson of Cordele for Welding.

Two teams from SGTC will also compete, including Kenneth Schlegel of Leesburg and Parker Lanier of Bainbridge, for Mechatronics; as well as Tommy Skinner of Leesburg, Luke Kessinger of Unadilla, and Josh McKinney of Rochelle for Welding Fabrication.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. It is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers, high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skills service occupations, including health occupations. The Skills USA program hosts local, state, and national competition for students to showcase their skills learned through hands-on training in the classroom.

The gold medal winners’ instructors are accompanying them on the trip, including Michele Ragsdale and Jennifer Childs, Practical Nursing; Brenda Butler Gilliam, Welding and Joining Technology; and James Halford, Industrial Electrical Technology.

SGTC Skills USA Advisor Brandan Harrell and SGTC Vice President of Administrative Services Janice Davis congratulated the winners as they gathered together before heading to Kansas City, encouraging them to try their hardest in the competition and make SGTC proud. “We’ve brought home medals from every national competition in the last ten years. Let’s keep the streak going!” remarked Harrell.

Davis reminded the students that competing at the national level for SkillsUSA is a fantastic accomplishment and that they should be proud of themselves. “Also,” noted Davis, “this is another thing you can put on your résumés when you go to apply for a job. Your achievements and extracurricular activities may be what tip the scales in your favor when an employer has several applicants to choose from.”