SoLAcc students win medals in skills competition

South Louisiana Community College students will be showing off their skills at the national SkillsUSA competition for the third summer in a row.
Students and staff from SoLAcc recently participated in the SkillsUSA Louisiana State Leadership and Skills Conference, hosted on SoLAcc’s Lafayette Campus from March 16–20, and won seven gold medals.
 As the host institution, SoLAcc welcomed student competitors, advisers and industry partners from across the state for a week of competition, collaboration, and career-focused experiences. The conference highlighted the technical skills, leadership development and workforce readiness of Louisiana’s top career and technical education students.
 Students from Louisiana’s community and technical colleges who attended the SkillsUSA Conference had the opportunity to display their technical ability, leadership skills, and knowledge over the multi-day event, competing in more than 50 competitions.
In total, SoLAcc students earned seven gold, four silver, and three bronze medals across a range of high-demand program areas.
Gold medals
•Lillian Cortez, Culinary Arts
•Madison Kriegel, Electronics Technology
•Madison Menard, Health Occupations Professional Portfolio
•Katelyn Charpentier. Medical Assisting
•Eryka Vazquez, Nurse Assisting
•Lane Miller, Restaurant Service
•Izic Guillory, Luis Lozano, Ryelon Romero, Welding Fabrication 
Silver medals
•May Fontenot, Computer Programming
•Reinmart Garcia, Electronics Technology
•Christopher Atkins, First Aid-CPR
•Madeline Allemond, Medical Terminology 
Bronze medals
•Allie Floris, Baking and Pastry Arts
•Madelyn Clark, Practical Nursing
•Lane Turnley, Restaurant Service
“This year’s conference was a powerful reminder of what our students are capable of,” said Dr. Toni Celestine, associate dean of student services and SkillsUSA college adviser. “Hosting the event gave us a front-row seat to their talent, work ethic, and growth. We are incredibly proud of how they represented SoLAcc and the opportunities SkillsUSA creates for their future.”
 All gold medalists will advance to compete at the SkillsUSA National Conference, scheduled for June 1–5 in Atlanta.