GREENVILLE — On the last two days of last month, more than 500 of the best career and technology students in the state of South Carolina came together at the TD Center in Greenville to compete in the SC SkillsUSA championships.
Students competed in everything from construction science to engineering to cosmetology.
Students from the Pickens County Career and Technology Center walked away with 32 medals, winning gold in First Aid/CPR, Firefighting, Criminal Justice, Residential Wiring, Mechatronics, Commercial Baking, Screen Printing, Prepared Speech, Extemporaneous Speaking, Job Skill Demo, Masonry, and Opening and Closing Ceremony. CTC students also earned silver in Firefighting, Criminal Justice, Residential Wiring, and Masonry, as well as bronze in Culinary Arts, Crime Scene Investigations, Masonry, Mobile Robotics, and Carpentry.
What is the secret of Pickens County’s success in state competition? According to CTC director Leonard Williams, one fundamental key is the hard work and dedication the CTC instructors put into working with the students, in and out of the classroom, not only to prepare them for competition, but to prepare them for technical training, college and employment.
When asked how it felt to be a gold medalist, Liberty High junior Hannah Hutto said, “I feel like a champion.”