(WACO, Texas) – More than 60 students from Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus are preparing to showcase their skills using coding, saws and wrenches.
The students and their faculty advisors will take part in the 2026 SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference happening April 8-11 in Corpus Christi.
“The students competing at state have put in a significant amount of additional lab time to ensure they are not only competition-ready, but career-ready, a distinction that makes them highly sought after by employers,” said Abby Ford, a SkillsUSA coordinator at the Waco campus.
Cybersecurity student Jaya Owens, of College Station, will participate in her second SkillsUSA Texas conference. Last year, she placed second in the Technical Computer Applications contest. This year, she will take part in the Information Technology Services contest.
“I just wanted to challenge myself,” Owens said. “It was so much fun for me last year and I wanted to do it again. I look forward to different aspects of cybersecurity. I feel like I know a lot more.”
Finnean Downey, of Waco, will make up half of an Additive Manufacturing team. The Engineering Graphics and Design student will take part for the first time in SkillsUSA.
Downey is using his experience as a computer aided-design lead when he was on the robotics team at Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic High School in Waco to think through scenarios he could face in the contest.
Downey and his classmate, Andrew Waters, know some general details about their contest project, but not all of what they will need to do.
“I look forward to seeing all the different solutions people have come up with for the same problem,” Downey said.
Jack Meyer, of Yoakum, is in his second semester in the Building Construction program and is competing in SkillsUSA for the first time in the Carpentry contest. He, along with classmates in that contest along with TeamWorks, have held Friday practices at the Construction Technologies Center to get ready for the conference.
“Practices have gone amazing,” Meyer said. “I have learned a lot from (William) Morelock (an instructor in the Building Construction program.) I’ve learned skills here that I would not be able to learn in the classroom.”
Meyer said other than competing, he looks forward to spending time with his classmates and hopefully getting in a fishing session for relaxation.
Other contests that Waco campus students will participate in include Automotive Refinishing Technology, Diesel Equipment Technology, and Welding Fabrication.
Students winning gold medals at the state level are qualified to participate in the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference being held June 1-5 in Atlanta, Georgia.
SkillsUSA is a professional organization focused on employability, leadership and technical skills that help college students pursue successful careers and be part of a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA has more than 100 specific contests at the state and national events in which students can compete, from 3D Visualization and Animation to Welding Sculpture.
For more information on SkillsUSA Texas, go to skillsusatx.org.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.