AHC Skills USA Wins Big

FEBRUARY 27, 2020--A group of talented Allan Hancock College students earned multiple first and second-place awards at the SkillsUSA regional competition in Bakersfield and will advance to the organization’s statewide competition in April.

“We are very proud of these SkillsUSA students,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “They did an amazing job demonstrating the skills they are learning at Hancock and will carry with them into their future careers. It is wonderful to see our students succeed at such a high level.”

The 30 students in Hancock’s SkillsUSA team, who participated in the regional competition Feb. 22, took home 21 gold medals, six silver medals, and three bronze medals. They earned gold medals in a variety of categories, including automotive technology, computer programming, welding, entrepreneurship, extemporaneous speaking, and others.

Twenty-eight of the students will move on to compete in the SkillsUSA statewide competition on April 16-19 in Ontario, California. Students who win that competition are eligible to compete in a national SkillsUSA completion June 22-26 in Louisville, Kentucky.

“We put a lot of time and effort into our project, so it was really rewarding to win,” said Hancock student Isaiah Urbano, who was one of three Hancock students who earned a gold medal in the competition’s community action project category. “The state competition is going to be tough, but we are really excited and we know it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

SkillsUSA is a national organization created to teach students the technical skills required for employment in career technical educational fields, as well as the soft skills required in any modern workplace. The organization is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry representatives that work together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. The organization holds competitions annually to recognize the achievements of career and technical education students and to encourage them to strive for excellence.

 Hancock’s SkillsUSA students worked with AHC administrators, staff, faculty and local industry partners to prepare for the competition.

 "This was possible because of all the help our students received from their advisors,” said Hancock SkillsUSA Advisor Adelina Pozos. “All the support we have received from everyone is amazing. We really appreciate everything they do.”  

 - AHC -