ECC students take gold at Illinois SkillsUSA championship

Amber Keare and Michael Marin will represent Elgin Community College in the SkillsUSA Championships in June after winning first-place gold medals in the Illinois SkillsUSA competition. The ECC heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) program students won four medals during the state competition, held April 23-25 in Springfield.

Keare is the first Illinois woman to compete in HVACR at the college level and will represent the state during the national competition on June 22 to 26 in Louisville, Ky. The Elgin resident also earned a bronze medal in the sheet metal competition.

"I am humbled by this experience," said Keare. "This wouldn't have happened without all the knowledge and encouragement of my teachers and advisers at ECC. Without the dedication and direction from George Rosa (HVACR instructional coordinator), Steve "Woody" Wood, John Halwix, Andy Erbach, and Rich Hoke, none of this would have happened. I am grateful to each and every one of them, and for the highly effective HVACR and energy management programs at ECC."

Hoke, the HVACR contest supervisor and a representative from the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society, said the judges were very impressed with Keare.

"RSES continues to work hard to diversify the field, which includes getting more women technicians and engineers," he said.

Marin, of Elgin, won a gold first-place medal in sheet metal and a third-place bronze in the HVACR event. He is excited about competing nationally against SkillsUSA members from all states as well as U.S. territories. John Halwix of Union, a former ECC student who is now an ECC adjunct faculty member, earned first in the nation in sheet metal in 2011 and is now coaching the two state winners.

This is the eighth year ECC HVACR students competed in SkillsUSA, a national organization serving teachers and students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations, including health occupations. Students from colleges, universities and postsecondary institutions across Illinois tested their technical skills against their peers and industry standards in various categories during the Illinois Skills USA competition. Judges awarded medals, ribbons and certificates to students who demonstrate the highest levels of proficiency in the skill sets of each event.

SkillsUSA has served more than 11.2 million members since its founding in 1965. More than 300,000 students and advisers join SkillsUSA annually, organized into more than 17,000 sections and 52 state and territorial associations.