Chattanooga, TN --- Students representing Chattanooga State’s Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT), formerly known as the Tennessee Technology Center (TTC), returned triumphant from last week’s 2013 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. The 49^th annual conference was a showcase for career and technical education students. Well over 15,000 students, teachers and business partners participated in the weeklong event.

TCAT students competed in 14 events and earned one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. In addition, competitors in eight other events finished in the top 15, Claire Bellew, a cosmetology student and former Chattanooga State Jo, won the gold metal in the Prepared Speech category. Her advisor was Brandy Krantz, cosmetology instructor. Ian Gwaltney and James Womble won the silver medal for Mechatronics. Coordinator of automotive mechatronics Ralph Gwaltney was their advisor. Another former Chattanooga State Jo, Lacey Wynn, received the bronze medal in the medical assisting category. Her advisor was Cynthia Rutledge, medical assisting associate instructor. Casie Thomas was awarded a bronze medal for her health occupations professional portfolio. Her advisor was senior LPN instructor Janis Simpson. The students who attended the 2013 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference were all gold medal winners at the 2013 SkillsUSA Tennessee Leadership and Skills Conference held in Chattanooga in April. Other students who traveled to Kansas City to represent the TCAT included aesthetics student Misty Smith and her model Jennifer Fox; Marsha Gould, automotive refinishing; Tracy Wade, collision repair technology; Michael Fulfer, marine technology; Bryan Roach, motorcycle service technology; Tameka Kirk and model Joyce Duke, nail care; Matthew Jagla, power equipment technology, and Constance Howard, technical computer applications.

Silver medal winners at the state level were Christher Shupe and model Tori Montgomery, barbering; Suzanne Rambo and model Nathalie Hamilton, massage therapy job skills demonstration; Tabatha Grayson, practical nursing, and Anthony Joblin, precision machining technology. The Tennessee College of Applied Technology Division offers 19 one-year diploma programs and 5 certificate programs with a total of 52 faculty and staff, making it one of the larger divisions on the campus of Chattanooga State. 
The faculty members are dedicated full-time to teaching and advising students. They are well prepared to teach, with many having work experience in business and industry.