CHATTANOOGA, TN -- In April, more than 70 Chattanooga State Community College students met up with competitors from across Tennessee at the Chattanooga Convention Center to compete in SkillsUSA, a skills-based competition that offers winners medals, prizes, and, in some cases, scholarships and job placements. 

From ChattState’s TCAT, 61 students competed in 34 contests, with 45 bringing home medals. Another 16 students from the College participated in SkillsUSA, bringing home eight gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal. 

ChattState received the Chapter of Distinction Gold Level Chapter Excellence Program (CEP) Award and the James D. King Award. The College was also named a National Model of Excellence school for its SkillsUSA program. 

Before the competition, each student receives a packet that includes the technical standards for his or her competition. This packet includes a rubric on how the student will be graded for performing assigned tasks, a dress code, and other requirements. 

Mike Mercer, a co-lead advisor for SkillsUSA at TCAT, said competitors spend months working with advisors to perfect their technical skills. Because some competitors are only in the first year of their college education, many must practice skills they have not yet learned in the classroom.  

Beyond helping students gain practical job skills, SkillsUSA also emphasizes a holistic framework that aims to help students develop personal skills, workplace skills, and technical skills grounded in academics. 

“They're more well-rounded students because they gain personal skills by interacting with others,” Mercer said.  

Students can choose from 115 fields in which to participate. Co-lead advisor Cynthia Rutledge said contestants are encouraged to join contests outside of their field of study so they can develop additional work skills, including public speaking and acing job interviews. 

“Those opportunities don’t exist outside of SkillsUSA for many of these students,” Rutledge said. “This will be the thing that makes them stick out among other applicants when it comes to job opportunities. “  

2024 marked the first year the College’s for-credit academic students were also invited to participate in SkillsUSA. Previously, only TCAT students participated. 

The effort to integrate two-year credit students was overseen by Judith Miller, Program Director for Health Sciences and co-lead advisor for SkillsUSA. 

While competitions vary widely—from massage therapy to advertising design and beyond—the contests are similar in that each participant must prepare a resume, sit through a job interview, and perform practical tasks, Miller said. Participants also gain confidence during SkillsUSA, either by learning they can perform well under pressure and scrutiny or by earning a medal. 

“It is rigorous; it's not a simple competition,” Miller said. “It gives students a sense of accomplishment by choosing a contest, practicing, and competing. SkillsUSA gives them future job skills, and it looks good on a resume.” 

ChattState students who won gold medals at the statewide SkillsUSA competition will proceed to compete in the national contest in Atlanta from June 24 to 28. 

Congratulations to the more than 70 students who competed at the statewide level in April. 

Gold Medal Winners

• Automotive Refinishing Tech — Wesley Allin 
• Baking and Pastry Arts — Brylee Quintrell 
• Barbering — Juan Lucas Tercero 
• Community Service — Tia Bowers, D'Andre Johnson, Kam Johnson 
• Culinary Arts — Aliah Wilkerson 
• Customer Service — Nadia Jones 
• Employment Application Process — Alissya Popoca 
• Extemporaneous Speaking — Caroline O'Neal 
• Job Interview — Shelby Defore 
• Marine Service Tech — Caden Wright 
• Medical Assisting — Cheyenne Rollins 
• Motorcycle Service Technology — Mitchell Barron 
• Opening and Closing Ceremonies — Matt Nelson, Halyson Wood, EmmaLea Linebarger, Amanda Sovago—Royal, Breanna Foster, Breanna Holloway, Sarah Kirk 
• Power Equipment Tech — Caleb Toliver 
• Prepared Speech — John Jordan 
• Quiz Bowl — Katie Cunningham, Breanna Foster, Briceyda Ambrocio Aguilar, Ricardo Alston, Joshua Concuan, Candice Jordan 
• Restaurant Service — Maddie Morris 
• Robotics Automation Technology — Daniel Cooper, Johnathan Smith 
• Video News Production — La Chic McWhorter, Shyanne Brinkley, James Farah, Trevor Walker 
• Restaurant Service — Maddie Morris 
• Culinary Arts — Aliah Wilkerson 
• Extemporaneous Speaking — Caroline O’Neal 
• Commercial Baking and Pastry Arts — Brylee Quintrell 
• Video News Production — Shyanne Brinkley, James Farah, LaChic McWhorter, Trevor Walker  

Silver Medal Winners

• Advertising Design — Jayden Bane 
• Barbering — Luis Rafael Gonzalez 
• Collision Damage Appraisal — Bobbi Lockett 
• Customer Service — Alanis Beckom 
• Employment Application Process — Lovey Wakefield 
• HVAC/R — Ben Kemplin 
• Job Interview — Elizabeth Berberich 
• Job Skill Demo — Open — Daniel McClenithan 
• Medical Math (Online Only Contest) — Jessi Rymer 
• Pin Design — Halyson Wood 
• T-shirt Design — Halyson Wood 
• Technical Computer Applications — Paige Johnson 
• Welding Sculpture — Hulon Dunn III 
• Medical Math — Jessie Rymer 
• Advertising Design — Jayden Bane 

Bronze Medal Winners

• Automotive Service Tech — Rachel Blackwell 
• Collision Repair Tech — Michael Keel 
• Extemporaneous Speaking — John Beatty 
• HVAC/R — Brian Karr 
• Industrial Motor Control — Wilson Bernabe 
• Internet of Things — Smart Home — Alexander Parker 
• Motorcycle Service Tech — Darrell Dolan 
• Extemporaneous Speaking — John Beatty