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Media Advisory |
Delta College SkillsUSA Students Excel at San Diego Regional Competition!
After a hiatus of about seven years, San Joaquin Delta College students have returned to the SkillsUSA trade proficiency competition as winners! At the recent regional event in San Diego (April 28 - May1) Delta students and advisor Alex Taddei, brought home a host of honors, including five gold medals. The gold medal winners will compete at the SkillsUSA Championships in Kansas City, Mo.,
June 18-24.
SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization that partners with students, teachers and industry to ensure America has a skilled workforce. The goal is to help prepare students for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. The organization has 13-thousand chapters with almost
15-thousand instructors and administrators as members.
Delta College Winners:
Web Page Design
Gold: Brenda Perez, Itzel Navarro
Promotional Board
Gold: Brenda Perez, Itzel Navarro, Renata Zapara
Shield Welding
Silver: William Bilderback
Welding
Silver: Seth Willden
New SkillsUSA State Officers
Post Secondary Reporter: Brenda Perez
Post Secondary Secretary: Leila Valencia
In addition, Delta College welding instructor and SkillsUSA advisor, Alex Taddei, was honored as the Region 5 Advisor of the Year, and California State Post-Secondary Advisor of the Year.
Alex chose to become involved in SkillsUSA because of the organization’s outstanding reputation. “This was my first exposure to the SkillsUSA competition,” says Alex. “The competitions and the competitors were exceptional! For Delta to win so many awards at a state level contest shows the caliber of our students.”
Alex Taddei emphasizes, “SkillsUSA competitions provide a student with a venue to display their proficiency in a competitive environment. SkillsUSA also helps students stay at the forefront of the latest technologies in their disciplines.” Alex says to compete and earn an award in a SkillsUSA event is validation of an individual’s ability. “A SkillsUSA award is definitely a point of interest in a resume. The state competitions bring together the ‘best-of-the-best’ from six different regions in California. The championships in Kansas City will see competitors from all 50 states…all gold medal winners in their categories.”
Delta students Brenda Perez and Itzel Navarro joined forces for a Web Page Design gold medal. They were joined by Renata Zapara for a Promotional Board gold.
Brenda Perez’ first experience with SkillsUSA came at the Weber Institute of Applied Sciences in Stockton. Brenda would like to become a Civil Engineer. “The other competitors in San Diego were great. Winning two gold medals and being elected as the SkillsUSA California Post-Secondary Reporter, gave me a great deal of confidence as I pursue my education.” Brenda is nervous about competing in Kansas City, but also extremely eager. “I look forward to making new friends and learning more leadership skills.”
Itzel Navarro would also like to become a Civil Engineer, and ultimately earn a PhD. “My friends prompted me to enter. They told me it would look good on my resume, and that it would be fun meeting students from other schools.” Itzel knows the championships in Kansas City will be tough, but she feels good about her chances. “The gold medals I received at San Diego gave me confidence in my abilities. I know the nationals will be more competitive because we will be competing against the ‘best’ from each state.”
Renata Zapara collaborated with Brenda and Itzel and won a Promotional Board gold. Renata would like to earn her four-year degree in video game design. No doubt those visual aptitudes came in handy for Promotional Board competition. “I first joined SkillsUSA as a sophomore in high school. When I heard that Delta restarted their SkillsUSA chapter, I took interest again.” Renata feels her skills have developed since her first competition. “I realize how far I have come since my first year; with hard work, you can do pretty much anything. If you’re good at it, you will succeed.” Renata adds, “Not only does SkillsUSA prepare you for the real world, but you also have fun and travel to some cool places!”
Advisor Alex’s Taddei’s welding students, William Bilderback and Seth Willden, excelled at the San Diego completion, earning silver medals in welding.
William Bilderback joined SkillsUSA to challenge himself. “I wanted to see what kind of welders I was up against in my field. It was an excellent experience rubbing elbows with competitors and iron workers.” Bilderback, who would eventually like to be a foreman in the Pipefitters Union, encourages others to challenge themselves at a SkillsUSA competition. “There is always room for improvement. See where you stand in your field…and why not enjoy it!”
Alex Taddei says enthusiastically, “I heartily encourage other instructors to become involved with SkillsUSA as a means of encouraging their students to become ‘the best they can be.’”
Gold medal winner Brenda Perez offers this advice: “I would tell other SkillsUSA competitors to try their hardest, not just in their competitions, but in all life’s endeavors. Just as important, meet as many people as you can…because life works best with networking!”
Great advice, Brenda...good luck in Kansas City!
An Example of Brenda Perez' and Itzel Navarro's Web Page Design: Efficient, Easy to Navigate & Read.
Shield Welding Silver Medalist William Bilberback at the SkillsUSA Competition in San Diego.
Welding Silver Medalist Seth Willden at the SkillsUSA Competition in San Diego.
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