Nineteen of BPCC’s best are set to compete at the 54th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) this week June 25-29 in Louisville, KY.
NLSC is a showcase of career and technical education students ready to compete in the national competition. More than 16,000 people — including students, teachers and business partners — are expected to participate in the weeklong event.
Students representing BPCC are:
- Cody Retiz – Action Skills
- Steve Garcia, Christian Welch – Audio/Radio Production
- Emily Barmore, Daniel Foots, Sara Patterson, James French – Broadcast News Production
- William Trey Jolley, Christopher Hale – Digital Cinema Production
- Ana Paden – Employment Application Process
- Ashley McElroy, Logan Wilson, Kylie Flowers, Bre Saulsbury, Sherry Ayers, Justin Kimes, Shamari Jackson – Opening & Closing Ceremonies
- Tiffany Odom – Photography
- Alexander Richardson – Pin Design
Faculty/staff attending include Communication & Performing Arts faculty members Melanie Lea, Jennifer Robison, and Lauren Brown; Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics faculty member Steven Turner; Program for Successful Employment Director Cindy Heying; and BPCC staff members Jim Boyter, Kim Condon, and Stephanie Jackson.
Since the state competition in April, the BPCC students who qualified for the national competition have been working with faculty to sharpen their skills.
“Competitions like this provide unique incentive for students to further refine their skills outside of the classroom environment and then to measure their development against other high performing students,” says Jim Boyter, BPCC’s SkillsUSA chapter advisor. “The diverse group representing BPCC this year will demonstrate the world-class training that our students receive.”
BPCC student Sara Patterson, who is attending the national competition and was also selected a state officer in April at Louisiana’s SkillsUSA competition in Lake Charles, feels competing at SkillsUSA Nationals will prepare the students for future endeavors.
“Going to Nationals is more than just a competition, it’s a chance to lay out a solid foundation for your future, but also to help mold your skills into tools for building a better tomorrow and future for everyone.”
The SkillsUSA Championships include more than 6,000 outstanding career and technical education students –– all state contest winners –– competing hands-on in 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. Contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry.
The BPCC staff attending will be sharing the students’ accomplishments throughout the week-long conference via BPCC’s FB page: https://www.facebook.com/BPCCCavs/.