Image – Emily Riddell, winner in Advertising & Design

Six Riverside City College students have qualified for the 52nd Annual National Leadership and Skill Conference in Louisville, KY June 21-24. At the state SkillsUSA competition, which was held at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, RCC students captured six gold and two silver medals. Students capturing gold medals advance to the national competition.

Students advancing to the national competition are: Kristina LoVerso (graphic Communications); Emily Riddell (advertising design); Martin Alvarez (auto service technology); Cassandra Caldwell (photography); and Mason Rosenquist and Ariel Cornejo (3D animation). Silver award winners include: Roza Keshvari (advertising design) and Megan Moore (graphics imaging sublimation).

The SkillsUSA Championships in Kentucky are competitive events, showcasing the best career and technical education students in the nation. The event, which is held at the Kentucky Events Center, occupies a space equivalent to 16 football fields. Last year saw more than 6,000 contestants compete in 100 events. Nearly 1,500 judges and contest organizers from labor and management make the national event possible.

SkillsUSA is the largest demonstration career annual competition in the nation. Over 300,000 high school and college-level students participate in regional, state and national competitions each year. The philosophy of the national competition is to reward students for excellence, to involve industry in directly evaluating student performance, and to keep training relevant to employers’ needs.

At the state competition students also participated in various events: orientations, vocational workshops, mock interviews, portfolio reviews, and career-specific competitions. Some students competed as individuals while others competed as a team. Soft skills also played an integral part of SkillsUSA competitions; our CTE students excelled in time management, punctuality, dress code adherence and teamwork. Overall the team exhibited an exemplary level of professionalism, said Patrick Sullivan, associate professor, Applied Digital Media director.

“SkillsUSA offers not only recognition of your abilities, but the also the chance to make invaluable connections with industry professionals and fellow students,” said Riddell.