(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Two Texas State Technical College students are looking to add new banners to the walls of the Electromechanical Technology lab in Sweetwater.
Lauralai Bates and Jordan Pledger are set to compete in both team and individual categories at the 2026 SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference, scheduled for April 8-11 in Corpus Christi.
The second-semester students will compete together in Robotics and Automation Technology. Individually, Bates has entered the Pin Design contest, while Pledger will compete in T-shirt Design.
“When I toured the program, I was told about the SkillsUSA success, which intrigued me,” Bates said.
That success is a matter of record. The Electromechanical Technology program has produced a state champion in each of the past three years. Philip Taylor won Electronics Technology in 2023, followed by Toby Styron in Facilithon in 2024, and Shawn Couet in Electronics Technology in 2025. Styron, currently an instructor in the program, went on to win the 2024 national championship, while Couet earned a national silver medal last year.
Pledger credited Couet’s success as his primary motivation for competing.
“I would not have entered if not for the success and talks with Shawn,” Pledger said.
As a team, Alpine native Bates and Tahoka native Pledger will design and implement an automated robotic work cell. Both students noted that their competitive nature is driving them to succeed in Corpus Christi.
“Over the next two weeks, we are going to practice nonstop,” Bates said. “We want to represent TSTC well at the state event and hopefully qualify for nationals.”
Bates’ interest in the Pin Design competition was sparked by hearing Styron discuss his own title run.
“Toby talked about how pin trading was a big thing at SkillsUSA,” she said. “I thought that was awesome, and to have my pin be part of that would be great.”
The competition requires students to present their state conference pin and artwork, followed by an oral presentation detailing the creative process.
Pledger’s T-shirt design follows a similar format, featuring a professional portfolio that documents his work. He said his goal is to showcase why the Texas workforce is “the best in the world.”
SkillsUSA is a professional organization focused on employability, leadership and technical skills. It features more than 100 specific contests at the state and national levels, ranging from 3D Visualization and Animation to Welding Sculpture.
Registration for the summer and fall semesters at TSTC starts Monday, March 30. For more information about TSTC, visit TSTC.edu.