TSTC students bring 18 SkillsUSA Texas medals back to Marshall

MARSHALL, TX -- Some students from Texas State Technical College’s Marshall location brought home a total of 18 medals -- seven gold, six silver and five bronze -- from the recent SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary State Leadership and Skills Conference in Houston.

“I couldn't be more proud of the team,” Bart Day, provost at the Marshall location, said. “The event is a great learning experience in itself, putting the skills they’ve gained here at TSTC to the test against tough competition. And coming home with hardware is an awesome achievement.”

The gold medalists are eligible to represent TSTC at the 60th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference to be held June 24-28 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Automation and Controls Technology student Tristan Matthew, of The Woodlands, competed in the Action Skills and Industrial Motor Control contests at the 2023 SkillsUSA state competition. He entered the same competitions again this year and received gold medals in both.

“I took more skills from my actual classes at TSTC and was able to implement them in this year’s competition to help me win,” Matthew said.

Cybersecurity student Jordan Walters, of Texarkana, was not sure what to expect when he boarded the bus for his first SkillsUSA competition. Treating it as a learning experience, he surprised himself when he won the gold medal in Telecommunications Cabling.

“I never thought I would actually go,” Walters said about the competition. “After going, I feel a lot better about what I’ve learned here.”

Drafting and Design student and first-time SkillsUSA competitor Tarren Harvey, of Monroe, Louisiana, could not help but be anxious when the event began. However, after taking first place in Architectural Drafting, he said he feels much more confident about the upcoming national competition.

“I know it will be a challenge, but I’m ready for it,” Harvey said.

Additional medalists include:

• Additive Manufacturing: Rome Allison and Logan Whittle (bronze)
• CNC 2-Axis Turning Programmer: Juan Cerda (gold) and Jorge Martinez (silver) - Cyber Security: Sergio Bazaldua and Austin Stowe (silver)
• Information Technology Services: Jacob Galvan (silver)
• Internet of Things (IOT) Smart Home: Jahmez Lewis (gold) and Daniel Mann (bronze) - Prepared Speech: Oseas Medina (gold) and Marius Hudson (silver)
• Technical Computer Applications: Jason Stanley (silver) and Kaitlyn Mitchell (bronze) - Technical Drafting: James Arnold (gold)
• Telecommunications Cabling: Isaac Hight (bronze)

For more information on SkillsUSA, go to skillsusatx.org and skillsusa.org.

Registration for TSTC’s summer and fall semesters is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.

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