(SWEETWATER, Texas) – For the fourth consecutive year, students from Texas State Technical College’s Sweetwater campus earned medals at the SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference.
Lauralai Bates and Jordan Pledger, Electromechanical Technology students, teamed up to earn a silver medal in Robotics and Automation Technology. Crystal Garcia, a Vocational Nursing student, earned a bronze medal in Medical Terminology.
“It was very eventful and interesting,” Bates said of the conference, which was held earlier this month in Corpus Christi. “We did not know the robot that we had to use, so there was a steep learning curve.”
Bates and Pledger admitted they did not expect to place in their category.
“We both thought we did poorly. We knew that we would not place,” Bates said. “We were impressed (to win the silver medal) without having spent much time working on that specific robot.”
Outside of the competition, Pledger said he enjoyed networking and exploring the event.
“There were so many scholarship and job opportunities for the students,” he said.
Pledger said he hopes more students in the Electromechanical Technology program will compete at the state level in the future.
“We will be here to coach them so they can be ready to compete,” he said.
For Garcia, the SkillsUSA atmosphere was a highlight of the experience.
“It was something unlike anything I have ever experienced before,” she said. “I would do it again and apply myself to more events.”
Garcia and several of her classmates said they intend to compete again once they enroll in the LVN to RN Transition Nursing program. Regarding the competition itself, Garcia noted that the 100-question test was challenging, but she relied on her test-taking strategies.
“It was multiple choice, so I used the process of elimination,” she said. “I broke it down to find the correct answer.”
SkillsUSA is a professional organization focused on employability, leadership, and technical skills that help college students pursue successful careers and join a skilled workforce. The organization hosts more than 100 specific contests at the state and national levels, ranging from 3D Visualization and Animation to Welding Sculpture.
For more information about TSTC, visit TSTC.edu.
