University Marketing & Communications: Layton Shumway | 801-863-6863 | LShumway@uvu.edu
Written by: Jim McCulloch
On March 23-24, Utah Valley University students showcased their career and technical skills at the annual State of Utah SkillsUSA Championships in Salt Lake City, coming away with 44 medals — including 20 gold — and ranked No. 1 among participating Utah colleges and universities.
Nearly 600 students from across the state competed in 98 different trade, technical and management fields. They displayed their best practical skills and leadership talents as they worked against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like mechatronics, carpentry, collision repair, technical computer applications and audio/radio production.
“Year after year our students are proving that they are as good as, and arguably better than, any in Utah at applying their trades and skills under the pressure of real-job situations,” said Darin Taylor, UVU professor of engineering design technology and UVU SkillsUSA director. “The 44 medals are more than any other post-secondary institution in the state of Utah. This speaks volumes about the quality of students, faculty and programs we have here at UVU.”
The gold medal winners now advance to the national SkillsUSA competition this June in Louisville, Kentucky. UVU has finished in the top three in the nation at National SkillsUSA for 16 consecutive years.
UVU Gold Medal Winners (State Champions):
Architectural Drafting – Hunter Huffman
Audio/Radio Production – Andrew West & Chase McKnight
Automotive Refinishing Technology – Scott George
Cabinetmaking – Andrew Dearing
Chapter Business Procedure – Derek McGovern, Jacob Ricci, Landon Vernon, Autymn Weaver, Kimberley Yefimov
Commercial Baking – Elena Linfesty
Crime Scene Investigation – MaKenna Johnson, Natalie Schiller, Stephanie Stratton
Criminal Justice – Steve O’Camb
Diesel Equipment Technology – McKay Torgerson
Engineering Technology – Riun Andreasen, Sean Buchanan, Adam Ninow
Fire Fighting – Brandon Parr
First Aid/CPR – Savanah McLaughlin
Industrial Motor Control – Jason Watson
Information Technology Service – Robert Jones
Job Interview – Ryan Fleenor
Mechatronics – John Hawker & Samuel Lake
Motorcycle Service Technology – Jesse Wilson
Related Technical Math – Tsz Wai Keung
Robotics & Automation Technology – Bru Reynolds & Julia Hisler
T-Shirt Design – Savannah Whitney
Fourth region (Section 1)