Gillette College students dominate at Wyoming SkillsUSA competition

For the second year in a row, Gillette College students took home the High Point Chapter Award in the Wyoming SkillsUSA competition. Twenty-two students competed in state competition and received 13 total medals after the results were tallied at the final competition in Casper.

SkillsUSA prepares America’s high-performance workers and provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. Gillette College students enrolled in career and technical education programs compete in SkillsUSA each year and consistently excel.

In team competition, students Nathan Blazek, Oscar Flores, Dylan Hulse, Lane McFerrin and Cristian Sanchez, all of Gillette, Wyo., won the Quiz Bowl category. Students Zane Fichter of Gillette, Wyo., Makayla Morris of Sheridan, Wyo., Jeremiah Oller of Gillette, Wyo., Nestor Parra of Gillette, Wyo. and Dylan Schiller of Gillette, Wyo. took home bronze. In Automated Manufacturing, students Trey Grubl of Red Owl, S.D., Kevin Sisti of Gillette, Wyo. and Ryan Jones of Scottsbluff, Neb. received a bronze medal. Charles Schuler of Gillette, Wyo., Colby Uran of Casper, Wyo. and Dawson Wilkinson of Gillette, Wyo. took home silver in Welding Fabrication.

Gillette College students also won five gold, two silver and two bronze medals in individual competition. Gold medal winners included Blazek in Diesel Technology; Christopher Marcus in Welding Sculpture; Uran in Welding; Sanchez in Job Skill Demonstration and Morris in Prepared Speech.

Silver medal winners included Noah Williams of Broadus, Mont. in Diesel Technology and Lane McFerrin of Gillette, Wyo. in Job Interview. Bronze medal winners included Cody Elliott of Gillette, Wyo. in Diesel Technology and Fichter in Manual Machining.

All students and teams who won gold medals at the state level will go on to compete at the National Leadership and Skills Conference June 24 through 28, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. According to Dean of Career and Technical Education Jed Jensen, students’ performance at SkillsUSA is an indication of the high quality of programs offered at Gillette College.

“Gillette College career and technical education programs are top notch, and our students’ incredible performance yet again this year demonstrates that,” he said. “We are very proud of all they have accomplished and look forward to building on this momentum at the national competition in June.”