Eastland Career Center’s Promotional Bulletin Board team took first place, nationally, at the SkillsUSA National Conference held in late June.
To close out the month of June, a group of Eastland Career Center students achieved the highest of accolades during the 2024 SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference when they won the gold medal in their respective competitive CTSO event.
Rising seniors McKenna Bell (Bloom-Carroll), Lola Phillips (Amanda-Clearcreek), and Amberly Byrd (Pickerington North) represented Eastland Career Center in the Promotional Bulletin Board team event where their work and presentation was recognized as the best in the high school competition. They were crowned national champions at the SkillsUSA Awards Presentation held on June 28 in Atlanta, Ga.
Mariah Pittman (Reynoldsburg) had been a member of the Promotional Bulletin Board team that earned Gold status through the state level but was unable to attend, allowing Amberly Byrd to fill in and round out the national championship team. All four students participating on the team are enrolled in the Graphic Design program at ECC.
Four additional individuals represented Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools on the national stage at this year’s SkillsUSA national conference. While these students did not medal, the following individuals participated CTSO (career technical student organization) skills competitions:
Zander Susor (Gr., Groveport Madison, ECC Automotive) - Automotive Service
Cadence Wrightsel (Gr., Teays Valley, ECC Pre-Dental) - Dental Assisting
Helen Norfolk (Gr., Bloom-Carroll, Graphic Design) and Brooke VanTilburg (Gr., Graphic Design) - Web Design Team
Sabrina Coleman (Gr., Bloom-Carroll, FCC Pre-Nursing) - Customer Service
The students’ experience began earlier in the week when they arrived on the scene and engaged in an enthusiastic welcoming ceremony, hosted by the SkillsUSA national staff. Throughout the week, our Eastland-Fairfield students had the opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of Atlanta, including the Georgia Aquarium. They also witnessed the Presidential motorcade as it was passing through for a nearby event. The trip provided far more than just a competition, but an opportunity to explore a new place and have rare experiences beyond SkillsUSA.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. A nonprofit national education association, SkillsUSA serves middle-school, high-school, and college/postsecondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations. SkillsUSA serves more than 333,527 students and instructors annually. SkillsUSA has served nearly 14 million annual members cumulatively since 1965 and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor as a successful model of employer-driven workforce development.
