South Louisiana Community College (SoLAcc) students will be showing off their skills at the national SkillsUSA competition for the second summer in a row. Students and staff from SoLAcc recently attended the SkillsUSA competition in Alexandria, and once again took home medals for the college.
Students from Louisiana's community and technical colleges who attended the SkillsUSA Conference, from April 15th through 17th, had the opportunity to display their technical ability, leadership skills, and knowledge over the three-day event and compete in one of over 50 competitions. Fourteen SoLAcc students participated across Nursing, Culinary, and Automotive categories. Here are the results:
Culinary Category:
- Mary Thibodeaux: Gold medal in Culinary Arts
- Sonya Barber: Silver medal in Restaurant Service
- Bailee Polk: Bronze medal in Restaurant Service
Nursing Category:
- Bailee Polk: Bronze medal in Restaurant Service
- Alexis Ardoin: Gold in Health Occupations Professional Portfolio, Bronze in First Aid/CPR and Medical Math
- Courtney Louviere: Gold in First Aid/CPR and Medical Assistant
- Sydni Leblanc: Gold in Nursing Assistant, Silver in Medical Terminology
- Leann Birchfield: Gold in Practical Nursing
- Georgia Burnside: Silver in Nursing Assistant
- Health Knowledge Bowl team (Kyana Rideaux, Sydni Leblanc, Leann Birchfield, Thera Guidry): Silver medal
"I couldn't be prouder of our students' accomplishments,” said Toni Celestine, SoLAcc Career and Testing Services Director and SkillsUSA College Advisor. “Their dedication, hard work, and passion for excellence are evident in every competition they participate in. It's an honor to witness their growth and success."
Although the Automotive team didn’t place, the students gained invaluable experience and are enthusiastic about the upcoming challenges, Celestine explained.The SoLAcc group also earned three awards during the opening session, including the third largest chapter and first place for largest membership growth over the past year. SoLAcc students who placed gold will compete at the National Conference in Atlanta, scheduled from June 24-28. Last year, the first SoLAcc student claimed gold at the national level in Atlanta, marking a historic achievement for the college.