FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 5, 2018
Contact: Wendy Smith, Assistant Vice President of Strategic Communication (307) 675-0412, wsmith@sheridan.edu
Claire Barnes, Public Relations Specialist (307) 675-0416, cbarnes@sheridan.edu
Seven Sheridan College students traveled to Louisville, Kentucky last week to compete against thousands of their peers at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. All seven students placed in the top 16 nationally in carpentry and machining competitions.
Only those students who won first place at the state-level competitions in April were eligible to compete.
“These students represented Wyoming and Sheridan College very well, and we are so proud of their achievements,” said Jed Jensen, dean of career and technical education for the Northern Wyoming Community College District, which includes Sheridan College. “The programs at Sheridan College prepare students not only for great careers, but to be leaders in their fields.”
Sheridan College students Frank Baca of Sheridan, Wyo., and Ben Conklin of Banner, Wyo. placed fifth in the Additive Manufacturing category. In the Automated Manufacturing category, students Kyle Jerney of Sheridan, Ashley Rylander of Butte, Mont. and Michael Waterhouse of Sheridan placed sixth.
In individual competitions, Sheridan College student Taylor Chapin of Kemmerer, Wyo. placed 15th in Carpentry and Tristan Barfoot of Sheridan, Wyo., placed 16th in CNC Technician competition.
More than 6,000 outstanding career and technical education students competed in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields at the conference. Students worked against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as welding, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, diesel technology and culinary arts. Industry professionals, trade associations and labor organizations helped direct the competitions.
The philosophy of the SkillsUSA competitions is to reward students for excellence, to involve industry in directly evaluating student performance and to keep training relevant to employers’ needs. Sheridan College students have placed in the top 25 at nationals 14 times in the past three years, including a first place gold medal in 2016.
To learn more about SkillsUSA, visit www.skillsusa.org or the Wyoming chapter website at www.skillsusawyoming.org.
