Bossier Parish Community College (BPCC) students won 10 medals at the National SkillsUSA competition in Louisville, KY, June 25-28, 2019.
The following students received eight gold medals in four categories and two bronze medals in two categories:
• Paul Vu – GOLD medal in Related Technical Math
• Cody Retiz & Hannah Retiz – GOLD medal in Community Action Project
• Sara Patterson, Chris Hale, Danny Foots & Emily Barmore – GOLD medal in Broadcast News Production
• Sydney Green – GOLD medal in Prepared Speech
• Juan Flores – BRONZE medal in Principles of Engineering & Technology
• Alex Richardson – BRONZE medal in T-shirt Design
“We are exceptionally proud of all of the BPCC students who qualified for the national SkillsUSA competition,” said Dr. Rick Bateman, Jr, BPCC Chancellor. “To qualify, they first had to win gold medals at the State Skills qualifying event last April. This year’s national competition was historic for us as we saw the greatest number of BPCC students bring home medals. I am proud of these students, their instructors, and their advisors for the extra time and effort they’ve all put into this successful outcome.”
Twenty-six students from BPCC competed in the national competition. The SkillsUSA National Championships include more than 6,000 outstanding career and technical education students –– all state contest winners –– competing hands-on in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. Contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry.
Two BPCC students, who were elected to serve as SkillsUSA state officers for the next year, also attended a three-day leadership-training while at the national competition. Sara Patterson will serve as Louisiana’s president and Ethan Hagan will serve as vice president.
BPCC faculty/staff mentors in the different categories prepare the students for the competition each year and attend the competition for guidance and support. Faculty/staff attending include Communication & Performing Arts faculty members Melanie Lea, Jennifer Robison, and Jonathan Elmore; Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics faculty member June Schneider and Steven Turner; Program for Successful Employment Director Cindy Heying; and BPCC staff members Jim Boyter, and Kim Condon.
