ECC students place at SkillsUSA Illinois State Championship

Elgin Community College career and technical students traveled to Peoria, Illinois, to compete in the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference on April 29-30.

The SkillsUSA Illinois Championships unite more than 2,000 students from career and technical programs across the state to compete in hands-on skills assessments in 100 different trade, technical, and leadership fields.

Seven ECC students competed in four categories: cabinetmaking, individual welding, welding fabrication, and welding sculpture.

Of the student competitors, five were awarded gold in their category: Damian Wegiel of Hampshire, cabinetmaking; Lilian Hwang of St. Charles, welding sculpture; and Joshua Palmer of Genoa, Meralia Gomez of Carpentersville, and Colin Dameron of Elgin, welding fabrication team.

The five gold-winning students will prepare and compete for the National SkillsUSA Competition this June in Atlanta, Georgia.

Accompanying the students were Tom Limberis, welding instructor and coach, and Tyler O'Donnell, associate dean of sustainability, business, and career technologies.

"SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce," O'Donnell said. "Students compete against the best in the state for a chance to compete nationally. At SkillsUSA Illinois, competitors have a unique opportunity to network and even interview with top employers."

SkillsUSA is an organization for technical, skilled, health, and personal service occupations students in high school and college.

More than 302,000 members belong to over 14,000 chapters in 53 U.S. states and territorial associations.