Thirty-one Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education students showed their in-depth knowledge of the skilled trades and earned medals at the regional SkillsUSA competition Wednesday, March 19, in Albany.
The 12 first-place winners and other medal winners earned their way to the state SkillsUSA competition in Syracuse next month.
The student competitors, who hail from school districts as far-reaching as Bethlehem and Cobleskill-Richmondville, showed expertise in areas as diverse as electrical wiring, public speaking, automotive repair, job interviewing, and cooking. They competed against their peers from Questar III and several other BOCES during a day filled with events at the Career & Technical education Center – Albany Campus, as well as Schenectady County Community College and the International Union of Operating Engineers training facility in Albany.
The state SkillsUSA competition will be conducted April 23-25 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. Winners of that event will advance to the national competition in June in Atlanta.
“Congratulations to our scholars. They all did a fantastic job and we are very proud of them,” said Debra Toy, advisor at the SkillsUSA organization on the Capital Region BOCES Career & Technical Education Center – Albany Campus.
Students said they are excited about their medals and the state competition.
“I am looking forward to competing at the next level and seeing how I do,” said Jeffrey Mulhern, who won first place Heavy Equipment Operations
This year’s regional SkillsUSA medalists and prize winners, the competition they placed in, their BOCES program and home school district are as follows:
First Place
- Jeffrey Mulhern, Heavy Equipment Operations, Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation, Duanesburg
- AJ Wine, Auto Vehicle Maintenance Basic, Automotive Trades Technology, Ravena Coeymans-Selkirk (RCS)
- The team of Gwen Deichman, Niskayuna, Asia McFarline, Guilderland, and Dezirae Austin, Scotia-Glenville, CSI Team, Criminal Justice
- Hayden Hyslop, Culinary Arts, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Tech, RCS
- Logan Garrand, Electrical Construction Wiring, Electrical Trades Technology, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (BHBL)
- Ivan Bittner, Extemporaneous Speaking, Network Technology, Cohoes
- Jacob Sawyer, Photography, Digital Media Design, Schalmont
- Dicey Lewis, Prepared Speech, Global Fashion, Cohoes
- Hunter Goss, Related Technical Math, Manufacturing and Machining Technology, RCS
- Hunter David, Welding, Welding and Metal Fabrication, South Colonie
Second Place
- Ryan Hungerschafer, Diesel Equipment Technology, Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation, Schalmont
- Peyton Mazzariello, Welding, Welding and Metal Fabrication, Cobleskill-Richmondville (CRCS)
- Tijay LaMalfa, Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Education, Schalmont
- Richard Shumway, Auto Service Technology, Automotive Trades Technology, Cohoes
- Tessla Murray, Cosmetology Jr., Cosmetology, North Colonie
- Alana Dickson, Cosmetology Sr., Cosmetology II, Shenendehowa
- Elijah Goldberg, Employment Application Process, Digital Media Design, North Colonie
- Johanna Radcliffe, Extemporaneous Speaking, Cosmetology II, Bethlehem
- Stephanie O’Rourke, Food Prep Basic, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Tech, Cohoes
- Emory Krongold, Job Interview, Welding and Metal Fabrication, Niskayuna
Third Place
- Cody Bess, Heavy Equipment Operations, Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation, Voorheesville
- Lydia Waage, Prepared Speech, Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation, CRCS
- The team of Katelyn Delaney, Schalmont, Giavanna Robinson, Sharon Springs and Brooke’lyn Bender, CRCS, Promotional Bulletin Board
- Brice Skiff, Action Skills, Pet Tech, South Colonie
- Ed Chase, Auto Vehicle Maintenance Basic, Automotive Trades Technology, BHBL
- Hadassah Harrell, Cosmetology Jr., Cosmetology, BHBL
- Nick Smith, Diesel Equipment Technology, Diesel Tech, Middleburgh
- Logan Englund, Electrical Construction Wiring, Electrical Trades II, Schenectady
SkillsUSA is a career and technical student organization serving more than 395,000 high school students. The organization promotes personal and professional growth and offers students the opportunity to compete at the local, regional, state and national levels.