Kentucky students, including one from Boone County Area Technology Center, took home several awards during the 2025 SkillsUSA Championships in Atlanta on June 23-27.
SkillsUSA is the No. 1 workforce development organization for students, empowering them to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members. killsUSA Kentucky serves more than 3,500 students and instructors each year in middle schools, high schools and postsecondary schools.
The SkillsUSA Championships is the premier showcase of America’s most highly skilled career and technical education students. It’s also one of the largest hands-on workforce development events in the world. Held in conjunction with SkillsUSA’s National Leadership & Skills Conference each June, the event features more than 6,700 state champions from across the United States, competing head-to-head in 114 skilled and leadership competitions.
The SkillsUSA Championships is the national culmination of a year-long process that begins in local SkillsUSA chapters across the country. Local winners advance to district or regional competitions, testing their skills against competitors from other schools. Those winners advance to state competitions each spring, and state gold medalists earn the right to compete nationally at the SkillsUSA Championships each June. Along with gold, silver and bronze medallions, competitors may earn scholarships, tools of the trade and even job offers right off the competition floor.
Kentucky took 79 students to compete as both secondary and postsecondary, as well as numerous chaperones and guests.
Those students placing in the top 10 are as follows:
• Barren County Area Technology Center: Alex Poynter placed 9th in the sheet metal competition.
• Fern Creek High School (Jefferson County): Parker Bowdy placed 10th in the firefighting competition.
• Henderson County High School: Tyreese McCombs and Carter Siewert won 3rd place in the interactive app and video game development competition.
• Henderson County High School: Andrew Harrison, Kyen Jiang, Ramsey Watson and Ava Zigler placed 6th in the Quiz Bowl competition.
• Johnson Central High School: Kungnaline (Lin) Han and Paetyn Trusty placed 10th in the 3D visualization and animation competition.
• Mayfield-Graves County Area Technology Center: Carter Morris placed 6th in the electrical construction wiring competition.
• Meade County Area Technology Center: James Abell, Lydia Benham, Daxton Blake, Elena Doman, Elizabeth Quillen, Shaune Reardon places 8th in the chapter business procedure competition.
• Meade County Area Technology Center: Brayden Delaney placed 10th in the CNC 5-axis milling programmer competition.
• Nelson County Area Technology Center: Keegan Powers placed 8th in the Internetworking competition.
Many Kentucky students also received Skill Point Certificates. Central to these certifications are the expertise and industry-defined competencies compiled in the SkillsUSA Championships Technical Standards.
Along with a national gold, silver or bronze medal, the Skill Point Certificate represents the pinnacle of achievement in demonstrating proficiency and workplace readiness in the student’s occupational specialty.
The industry leaders who defined the competencies for each contest determined a cut score that indicates excellence for students in technical or leadership events. Contestants who meet or exceed the scoring threshold will earn a Skill Point certificate. Each certificate lists the competency areas tested in the contest and may feature the logos or names of the organizations and companies that planned and managed this year’s competitions. Students can place the certificate in an employment portfolio as an indicator of proficiency.
Those earning Skill Point Certificates to outstanding national contestants in the SkillsUSA Championships:
• Breckinridge County Area Technology Center: Dania Jarillo-Beltran, crime scene investigation; Kayla Alexander, crime scene investigation; and Chloe Elder, crime scene investigation.
• Meade County Area Technology Center: James Abell, chapter business procedure; Lydia Benham, chapter business procedure; Daxton Blake, chapter business procedure; Elena Doman, chapter business procedure; Elizabeth Quillen, chapter business procedure; Shaune Reardon, chapter business procedure; and Mackenzie Shaffer, welding sculpture.
• Eastside Technical Center (Fayette County): Ayden Hayes, audio-radio production and David Ingram, audio-radio production.
• Fern Creek High School (Jefferson County): Parker Bowdy, firefighting.
• Hardin County Schools Early College and Career Center: Daniel Davidofsky, culinary arts and Nate Polley, carpentry.
• Southern High School (Jefferson County): Hicks Gavin, SkillsUSA Job Skill Demonstration Open.
• Henderson County High School: Tyreese McCombs, interactive application and video game development and Carter
• Siewert, interactive application and video game development.
• Mayfield-Graves County Area Technology Center: Carter Morris, electrical construction wiring.
• Johnson Central High School: Kungnaline (Lin) Han, 3D visualization and animation, and Paetyn Trusty, 3D visualization and animation.
• Barren County Area Technology Center: Mollie Hawkins, outstanding chapter; Karden Kinslow, outstanding chapter; Autumn Milton, outstanding chapter; Brady Geary, plumbing; and Alex Poynter, sheet metal.
• Nelson County Area Technology Center: Keegan Powers, Internetworking.
• Clark County Area Technology Center: Caleb Bush, related technical math.
• Boone County Area Technology Center: Jenna Schlosser, first aid/CPR.
Kentucky Department of Education