Washburn Tech students medal at SkillsUSA Championships

Washburn Tech students brought home valuable hardware from the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Ga. Six students won medals in their competitions during the event June 20 – 24.

Holly Haufler, Centralia, won gold in the First Aid/CPR contest in the college division. Another Washburn Tech practical nursing student, Melinda Thompson, Berryton, won gold in the Medical Math competition in the college division. A team of practical nursing students claimed silver in the Health Knowledge Bowl. Team members included Shayla Borsdorf, Burlingame; Jessica Dunn, Topeka; Shastel Height, Topeka; and William Ross, Delia. All medalists graduated from the practical nursing program in May.

“Congratulations to all of the Washburn Tech students who received medals and competed at National SkillsUSA in June,” said Mike Strohschein, dean, Washburn Tech.  “Their dedication to technical education and their profession is commendable and makes Washburn proud.”

Washburn Tech won the most medals at the national competition of any technical or community college in Kansas. The SkillsUSA Championships is the nation’s largest hands-on workforce development event for middle school, high school and college/postsecondary students enrolled in career and technical education programs.

SkillsUSA hosts the event at an estimated cost of more than $36 million. It is considered the largest skill competition in the world and one of the single largest days of industry volunteerism in the United States. SkillsUSA represents 130 different occupational areas and adds contests to the SkillsUSA Championships each year to meet the demands of new or expanding careers. Begun in 1967, the SkillsUSA Championships features more than 5,200 competitors in 108 hands-on skill and leadership contests.