Utah Valley University (UVU) showed its skill and expertise by taking first place at this year's SkillsUSA Competition on March 24-25, 2022, in Salt Lake City. This puts UVU on the road to Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia June 20-25, 2022. In total, UVU tallied 43 total medals at the state competition (24 gold, 15 silver, and four bronze). The next closest school was Salt Lake Community College with 32 total. The students who placed first in their respective categories will compete at the national event.
“By the time a student has won first place in the state and advanced to nationals, they are deemed to be the top one percent in the nation,” said Darin Taylor, UVU architecture and engineering professor and UVU SkillsUSA director. “I can’t think of a better bullet point on a resume than saying you were first in your state and perhaps one of the top three in the nation if you make the medals podium. Not only are students recognized by winning medals, but many of them also come home with thousands of dollars in prizes.”
This is not the first time the students of UVU have shown their immense talent in this prestigious competition. Last year at the national competition, UVU won three gold medals, placing them fourth in the nation for the most gold medals won. At the same competition, UVU was also awarded five national medals and recognized as fifth nationally among all the colleges and universities across the country. In the last twenty years, UVU has continually been ranked in the top five at nationals in SkillsUSA, with seven of those years being in first place. If SkillsUSA was an NCAA sport, UVU might be considered a dynasty!
SkillsUSA is an opportunity for students from both college and high school to show their expertise and talents in many different skills, ranging from computer programming to firefighting to job interviewing. More than 400,000 students from across the country compete in SkillsUSA. To be entered into this competition is a great honor and an even bigger honor to medal at the state and move to the national competition. Not only are the students in this competition able to continually build upon their skills and improve, but they are also able to use the awards received as a great resume builder and hopefully gain a well-sought position during school or following graduation. These students are fortunate enough to network and learn from industry leaders in their fields as well. These same leaders are the judges for the competitions.
“Skills USA helped me with public speaking and being able to "think on my feet" in a room full of people who want to know answers to questions within minutes of being told the issue at hand,” stated Rob Scheon Axis Steel President and UVU and SkillsUSA alumni. “I often reflect on my experiences competing in Extemporaneous Speech two years in a row and being successful in those competitions as I reflect on those experiences, I realize the value that I gained going through those competitions and how it has enriched my professional life.”
The College of Engineering and Technology (CET) sent 72 total students to the state competition in 31 categories. Winners included:
- Additive Manufacturing: Benjamin Collier & Dallin Hansen
- Architectural Design: Lindsey Barker
- Audio/Radio Production: Jaden Higbee & Hunter Stanley
- Cabinetmaking: Brigg Edwards
- Commercial Baking: Eloise Clayton
- Computer Programming: Ashton Young
- Culinary Arts: Timothy Gee
- Cyber Security: Kaylan Hall & Christopher Predovich
- Diesel Equipment Technology: Kyle Young
- Engineering Technology: Jaden Bond, Jonathon Mott, and Chris Shober
- Internetworking: Robert Jones
- Mechatronics: Alex Marcum and Joseph Walker
- Motorcycle Service Technology: Justin White
- Power Equipment Technology: Schuyler Hyde
- Related Technical Math: Yan-Ho Hyrum Ng
- Restaurant Service: Macady Hall
- Robotics and Automation Technology: Daniel Edlund and Toria Edwards Van Muijen
- Technical Drafting: Laura Richardson
Congratulations to all the UVU students who represented the university so well and best of luck to those heading to Atlanta!