WTC Students Advance to National Leadership Conference for SkillsUSA
Two Wilson Talent Center (WTC) students earned first-place gold at the SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference in April, advancing them to nationals.
- Rachel Pakenas (Williamston) took gold in the Criminal Justice category.
- Phil Stoll (LifeTech Academy) took gold in the Plumbing category.
These achievements allow them both to advance to the SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference, June 20-24 in Atlanta, Georgia, to compete against students from other states.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. A non-profit national education association, SkillsUSA serves middle-school, high school and college/post-secondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. SkillsUSA serves more than 333,527 students and instructors annually.
While only gold medallion winners advance to nationals, several other WTC students placed in the top three in the state in a variety of categories, they include:
- Hannah Partridge (Williamston), Madalynn Zuke (Mason) and Adrianna Rector (Dansville), 2nd place silver, Crime Scene Investigation Team
- Ava Kuch (Fowlerville), Ann Neverdusky (Sexton) and Landon Kelly (Leslie), 3rd place bronze, Crime Scene Investigation Team
- Thu (Skye) Vo (Sexton), 2nd place silver, Nail Care
- Lilith Upton (Haslett), 2nd place silver, Plumbing
- Riley Kingsley (Webberville), 3rd place, Precision Machining
“We are incredibly proud of our students for representing the Wilson Talent Center so well at the SkillsUSA state leadership conference,” notes Jeff Smith, Associate Principal and SkillsUSA Advisor. “The dedication of these students and their instructors in preparing for competitions like SkillsUSA makes this such a rewarding experience for all of us,” Smith also noted.
The Wilson Talent Center, operated by Ingham Intermediate School District, offers career and technical education programs for high school juniors and seniors who reside in Dansville, East Lansing, Haslett, Holt, Leslie, Mason, Okemos, Stockbridge, Waverly, Webberville and Williamston. Applications are also accepted from Lansing School District, Fowlerville Community Schools and Eaton and Clinton County schools. For more information, visit Wilson Talent Center (www.inghamisd.org/wtc).
