HANCEVILLE —
Wallace State Community College is well represented at the 48th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Mo. this week.
Four students, two each from the Wallace State Precision Machining and the Drafting Departments, are competing nationally after placing first in their respective events at the state level competition in April.
Students competing at SkillsUSA are Walter Eads of Cullman in CNC milling, Mark Lowrey of Cullman in Precision Machining, Deolindo Cabrera of Cullman in Related Technical Math and Joshua Smith of Lacey’s Spring in Architectural Drafting.
Additionally, drafting student Amanda Smith of Fairview is attending as an elected State of Alabama Postsecondary Officer.
“I’m very excited about the talented students we have attending the SkillsUSA competition. It’s life-changing experience, not only for our students but for our instructors. I joked with the students not to come home unless they bring back some medals,” said Jimmy Hodges, Dean of Applied Technologies. “It’s an outstanding opportunity for our Wallace State students to shine against the best in the nation.”
All four students are making their first trips to the national competition.
“I’m looking forward to it a lot. It’s going to be an exciting trip. Win or lose, I’m excited to be a part of it and hope it can lead to job opportunities,” said Eads, 23, a Cullman resident and St. Bernard graduate. “It means a lot to me to be able to represent the machining department at nationals.”
Lowery, 28, maintains the same pride in the department as his machining classmate, wanting to perform successfully for Wallace State.
“It’s a great opportunity. I want to go to Kansas City and demonstrate the quality of our program,” Lowery said. “I hope to continue what I accomplished at the state level. The nationals will have more categories and be more detailed.”
Cabrera’s task at Kansas City is slightly different than his counterparts. Eads, Lowery and Smith will each have written and performance tests to complete, but Cabrera’s will be strictly on paper. He’ll have approximately two hours to finish 30-40 math questions. Related technical math consists of an assortment of algebra, geometry, precalculus and some calculus equations.
“Related technical math is essential for a drafting and design student. My instructors encouraged me to take a stab at this category and it’s worked out,” said Cabrera, 20. “I’m pumped to see how we all stack up at nationals.”
Amanda Smith, 23, won’t be competing for a national championship, but she’ll serve a vital role in Kansas City, Mo., as an Alabama Postsecondary Officer, attending conferences and learning ways to help promote technical programs across the United States.
“It’s a huge responsibility for Amanda and an admirable position. She’s been a strong asset to the Wallace State family and knows the landscape of our technical programs,” said Kristi Bain, Wallace State Drafting Instructor. “Amanda can talk about the programs we have on campus and suggest ways to improve funding across postsecondary. She’ll have time to provide input about our technical programs and work with others to improve technical programs in the postsecondary realm.”
Smith is a WSCC drafting student and former volleyball player and assistant coach.
Each Wallace State student is seeking to join Joey Foster of welding (2009) and Matthew O’Neal of machine tool technology (2003) as Wallace State SkillsUSA national champions.
SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. SkillsUSA serves more than 300,000 students and instructors annually. The organization has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations.
For more information about Wallace State, visit wallacestate.edu.
Education
Related Photos
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Walter Eads
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Mark Lowery
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Deolindo Cabrera
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Joshua Smith
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Amanda Smith
Discussion
Four Wallace State students set to compete at 48th annual SkillsUSA national conference
Conference to begin Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
- Education
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Wallace State Community Education Courses beginning May 21
Computers for seniors
This course is for the beginner and is designed to introduce you to the computer. Basic functions of Microsoft Windows will be covered along with adjusting personal computer settings. You will also be introduced to the Internet and email. The instructor is skilled at teaching those with little or no experience with computers.
Classes are May 21, 28 and June 4 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Class is limited to 12 students. Fee-$25. To register, call 256352-7826.
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