Collin College Students Take Top Spots At SKILLSUSA Competition For Second Year

Collin College students soared to victory, claiming top marks in the Texas SkillsUSA Postsecondary competition held in Houston, April 18-20. Seven Collin students took home the gold and a chance to compete in the national SkillsUSA competition.

SkillsUSA is a national organization dedicated to developing the country’s workforce through personal, workplace, and technical skills. The organization serves more than 300,000 middle school, high school, and college students annually, with 4,000 local chapters. The organization's framework contributes to students being job-ready after graduation because participants have a better understanding of what skills employers are looking for in employees. 

In addition to training opportunities, SkillsUSA provides competitions to reward students for their hard work learning their crafts. This is the second time Collin College students have participated in the competition. 

This year, 35 Collin College students participated in the competition. The winners were awarded gold, silver, or bronze medallions commemorating their accomplishments. The following students from Collin earned medals: 

• Joshua Meza of Mesquite – First Place, Automotive Refinishing Technology 
• Cameron Tackman of Prosper – Third Place, Automotive Service Technology 
• Neven Campos of Denton – First Place, Automotive Service Technology 
• James Vaughan of Haughton, Louisiana, lives in McKinney – Second Place, Collision Damage Appraisal and Total Loss Evaluation 
• Eduardo Lopez of Garland – Third Place, Collision Repair Technology
• Michael White of New Orleans, lives in Allen – First Place, Graphic Design 
• Alexandria Melendez of McKinney – Second Place, Graphic Design 
• Balameena Suresh of Madurai, India, lives in Plano – Third Place, Graphic Design
• Nicole Bellin of Plano – First Place, Photography 
• Olivia Olson of Frisco – Second Place, Photography 
• Max Nwanebu of Fairview – Third Place, Photography 
• Logan Mattson of Plano – First Place, Welding Fabrication (Team Event) 
• Christian Pearce of Frisco – First Place, Welding Fabrication (Team Event) 
• Tristan Lance of Little Elm – First Place, Welding Fabrication (Team Event)

The gold medalists – Meza, Campos, White, Bellin, Mattson, Pearce, and Lance – are eligible to compete at the national SkillsUSA competition held June 24-28 in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Collin College serves more than 58,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 200 degrees and certificates, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) in Cybersecurity, a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Construction Management, and a new Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Clinical Operations Management. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government, and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. For more information, visit www.collin.edu.