CNM Students Win Medals at SkillsUSA Championship

At the 2019 SkillsUSA championship, nearly 6,000 Career Technical Education (CTE) students from around the country put their skills to the test and two CNM students were among the upper echelon of competitors. The competition, held in Louisville, Ky., is the largest showcase event in the country for CTE students.

Bringing home a silver medal for the Cabinetmaking competition is Keri Payne who is the first woman in SkillsUSA history to medal in that category. Additionally, CNM student Meagan Uhing, earned a silver medal in the Commercial Baking competition.

Other CNM students who competed at the national championships were: Richard Jensen, Darius Zamarchi, Michael Allen, Bryan Martin, John Dylan Russom, Herman Gabaldon, Albert Dao, William Trammell, Jerome Willie, Mekyle Hartford, Joseph Lovato, Thomas Ruiz, Imari Hunter, Miguel Saldana and Steven Sandoval.

All 17 CNM students qualified for the national event by taking first place in their competitions during the state SkillsUSA competitions in April, which was held at CNM.

CNM has a long tradition of excelling at the national SkillsUSA Championships with medal-winning student performances. Not only do students receive top-notch instruction at CNM, but the college’s tuition rates for CTE programs are among the lowest in the country.

The national SkillsUSA Championships were attended by more than 16,000 people and provided more than 100 competitions to test students’ career technical and leadership skills in fields ranging from welding to dental assisting to 3-D animation. It also served as a highly valuable networking opportunity for students since industry representatives also use the event as a recruiting opportunity.

SkillsUSA is a national organization that serves technical, skilled and service occupational instructional programs in public high schools, career and technical centers and two- and four-year colleges.