North Carolina Places Second in the Nation at the SkillsUSA National Championships

Community college students play a leading role, earning 47 of North Carolina’s 79 national medals as the state finishes second nationwide and top five in attendance

[RALEIGH, NC] North Carolina’s career and technical education (CTE) students brought home 79 medals from the 61st annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference — the second-highest medal total of any state in the country. The state’s community college students played a leading role, earning 47 of those 79 medals. North Carolina public school students in middle and high school earned 32 additional medals. 

Held June 1-5 in Atlanta, the conference drew more than 19,000 registrants and 7,000 competitors from across the country. North Carolina was represented by more than 530 students, instructors, administrators, parents and supporters from 74 schools and colleges statewide, and finished in the top five among all states in delegation attendance.

Across the full North Carolina delegation, 270 students competed in 178 contests. Twenty-nine percent finished as medalists, and 69 percent placed in the top ten of their events. In all, North Carolina student-contestants earned 25 gold, 23 silver and 31 bronze medals. Every one of them had to win first place in their event at the SkillsUSA North Carolina State Conference in April to reach the national stage.

The state’s community college delegation led the way. Its 121 student-contestants — drawn from 26 colleges and supported by 99 instructors — earned 47 medals across 28 contests: 19 gold, 12 silver and 16 bronze. Thirty-nine percent of community college competitors medaled, and 88 percent finished in the top ten of their national contests.

“These results prove our students are among the best in the country,” said Dr. Jeff Cox, President of the North Carolina Community College System. “The second-highest medal count in the nation reflects the rigorous, high-caliber technical education happening in our classrooms every day. We could not be prouder of these student champions and the dedicated instructors who prepared them to lead and excel in an evolving economy.”

North Carolina’s public school students made a strong showing of their own. The state’s 129 high school student-contestants earned 22 medals across their national contests, with 17 percent of competitors medaling and 47 percent finishing in the top ten. The 20 middle school student-contestants delivered a standout result: they earned 10 medals, half of everyone who competed, and all 20 finished in the top ten of their national events.

“North Carolina students just brought home 79 medals from the SkillsUSA national championships, second in the country,” said North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green. “These young people represent the very best of career and technical education in our state, and they are extraordinary proof that the future workforce of North Carolina is being built right now — in our public schools and our community colleges alike.”

By the numbers

• Community colleges (postsecondary): 121 student-contestants, 47 medals, 106 placing in the top ten (88 percent)
• High school: 129 student-contestants, 22 medals, 60 placing in the top ten (47 percent)
• Middle school: 20 student-contestants, 10 medals, all 20 placing in the top ten

“SkillsUSA puts our students face-to-face with the standards of industry,” said Trey Michael, NCDPI’s senior director for CTE. “Whether they competed in welding, dental assisting, cyber security, mobile robotics or video production, these students performed at the level employers expect. Earning the second-highest medal count in the nation tells me that North Carolina’s CTE programs are doing exactly what they should be doing: preparing students for real careers in real industries.”

Additional national recognition for North Carolina

• Nash Community College was named one of 24 national Models of Excellence, a distinction reserved for the top SkillsUSA chapters in the country.
• Brody Pettipas of West Carteret High School was elected SkillsUSA National Region 2 Vice President for the 2026–27 year.
• SkillsUSA North Carolina earned a division award for its growth in college postsecondary membership, and received national recognition for increased membership in both the high school and postsecondary divisions.
• Eight SkillsUSA North Carolina State Officers completed the LEVERAGE State Officer Training at the national conference and served as voting delegates in the national officer elections.
• More than 20 North Carolina educators and industry professionals served on national contest committees as chairpersons, judges and contest support personnel.

“We are incredibly proud of our students and teachers for embodying our slogan of being ‘Champions at work,’” said Paul Heidepriem, SkillsUSA North Carolina Executive Director. “Our teachers and instructors are ensuring that the Framework of Personal, Workplace and Technical Skills is developed in each classroom.”

This year’s results follow a record-setting year for North Carolina CTE. North Carolina public school students earned 382,964 industry-recognized credentials in 2024–25, the most in state history, and North Carolina now ranks second nationwide in the percentage of K-12 students participating in CTE coursework.

North Carolina Community College National Medalists

Gold medalists

• Aviation Maintenance Technology: Jared Dawson – Guilford Technical Community College
• Career Pathways Showcase (Industrial & Engineering Technology): Isabella De Leon, Daniella Ponce, Ajeda Thomas – Edgecombe Community College
• Community Service: Kenyatta Eskridge, Kallie Mccoid, Celia Grace Pribble – Cleveland Community College
• Early Childhood Education: Jacqueline McDonald – Coastal Carolina Community College
• Heavy Equipment Operation: Wesley Triplett – Wilkes Community College
• Outstanding Chapter: Isabella Donahue, Lucas Miller, Rebecca Reyes-Mejia – Catawba Valley Community College
• Screen Printing Technology: Dustin Hartley – Catawba Valley Community College
• Video News Production: Eric Clifton, Rachel Parsons, Mark Payne, Chad Peterson – Forsyth Technical Community College
• Video-TV Production: Mikhaela Abarientos, Erika Danielle – Gaston College

Silver medalists

• CNC 3-Axis Milling: Madison Coleman – Wilkes Community College
• Dental Assisting: Amanda Shuping – Guilford Technical Community College
• Entrepreneurship: Kayden Harrington, Riley Land, Dhyan Patel, Xavier Springs – Catawba Valley Community College
• Health Occupations Professional Portfolio: Anaia Mayner – Gaston College
• Prepared Speech: Allyson Sullivan – Catawba Valley Community College
• Principles of Engineering-Technology: Alfredo Hernandez Garcia – Edgecombe Community College
• Robotics: Urban Search & Rescue: Kevin Rodriguez-Ramirez, Carter Wyatt – McDowell Technical Community College
• CNC 2-Axis Turning: Jeremy Wagstrom – Blum Apprenticeship program

Bronze medalists

• Audio-Radio Production: Sherod Dixon, Colby Love – Gaston College
• Commercial sUAS Drone: Damon Ellis, Crystal Rice – Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
• Firefighting: Bradley Hendren – Wilkes Community College
• Industrial Motor Control: Michael Finelli – Pitt Community College
• Internetworking: Andrew Norman – Wilkes Community College
• Masonry: Grayson Smith – Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
• Medical Assisting: Melanie Pullen – Gaston College
• Medical Terminology: Sarah Hough – Bladen Community College
• Mobile Robotics: Jason Moon, Shawn Smith – Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute
• Photography: Bryn Whitman – Catawba Valley Community College
• Promotional Bulletin Board: Elisa Alderman, Isaac Carter, Anika Martinez – Catawba Valley Community College

The full list of North Carolina medalists across all divisions, including schools and student names, is available at SkillsUSAnc.org.

About the North Carolina Community College System

The North Carolina Community College System (NC Community Colleges or System) is the engine for workforce development in North Carolina and the only public entity dedicated to providing affordable college access to anyone in the state. The System is governed by the NC State Board of Community Colleges with administration from the NC Community College System Office, and support from the NC Community Colleges Foundation, and is powered by the 58 community colleges and their respective foundations. Together, the System serves 600,000 students and awards more than 60,000 degrees, diplomas, and certificates annually. For more information, visit nccommunitycolleges.edu.

About the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is charged with implementing the state’s public school laws for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public schools at the direction of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The agency provides leadership and service to North Carolina’s public schools and supports students, educators, families and communities across the state.

About SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen the nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. SkillsUSA has hundreds of thousands of members nationwide in high schools, middle schools and colleges, covering more than 140 trade, technical and skilled service occupations. The organization is recognized by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. For more information, visit SkillsUSA.org and SkillsUSAnc.org.