April 20, 2022
East Central Community College students placing at the 2022 state SkillsUSA Competition include (front row, from left) Hayley Loper of Decatur, Brianna Young of Louisville, Anh Nguyen of Union, Tayler Cochran of Decatur, and Karise Parkman of Lake; (second row, from left) Ethan Wysocki of Walnut Grove, Adam Porter of Decatur, Makayla Wash of Newton, Sanaa Merrell of Philadelphia, and Kayleigh Long of Philadelphia; (third row, from left) Colton Trapp of Philadelphia, Kaitlyn Irwin of Decatur, Asten Russell of Little Rock, Kadyn Townsend of Meridian, and Cherie Stewart of Carthage; and (back row, from left) Asheley Clark of Forest, Allison Lepard of Sebastopol, Hannah Myers of Carthage, Cameron Jenkins of Choctaw, and William Tarlton of Preston. Not pictured are Gage Creason of Morton, Dylan Dubose of Philadelphia, Caden Elliott of Little Rock, Lathan Johnson of Philadelphia, Kelsey Pegram of Union, and Ethan Smith of Decatur.
Twenty-two East Central Community College Career and Technical Education students combined to earn first place in 14 categories in the 2022 SkillsUSA Mississippi Skills and Leadership Competition. The competitions were held at the Trademart and Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson March 8-9 and on the ECCC campus in Decatur April 1.
Now 20 of those students will advance to the National SkillsUSA Skills and Leadership Conference June 20-24 in Atlanta, Ga.
Four other ECCC students placed second at the state event.
Students placing first in the state SkillsUSA Competition and advancing to the national competition in Atlanta included:
- Cameron Jenkins of Choctaw, first place in Architectural Drafting.
- Colton Trapp of Philadelphia, first place in Cabinetmaking.
- Ethan Smith of Decatur, first place in Automotive Refinishing.
- Hannah Myers of Carthage, first place in Cosmetology.
- Cherie Stewart of Carthage, first place in Esthetics.
- Karise Parkman of Lake, first place in Esthetics Model.
- Makayla Wash of Newton, first place in Job Skills Demonstration Open.
- Anh Nguyen of Union, first place in Job Skills Demonstration A.
- Asheley Clark of Forest, first place in Nail Care.
- Allison Lepard of Sebastopol, first place in Nail Care Model.
- Tayler Cochran of Decatur, Kayleigh Long of Philadelphia, Kelsey Pegram of Union, Asten Russell of Little Rock, William Tarlton of Preston, Kadyn Townsend of Meridian, and Brianna Young of Louisville, first place in Opening and Closing Ceremony.
- Kaitlyn Irwin of Decatur, Hayley Loper of Decatur, and Sanaa Merrell of Philadelphia, first place in Promotional Bulletin Board.
Also placing first at the state level but not competing at the national competition were:
- Adam Porter of Decatur, first place in CNC Milling Specialist.
- Ethan Wysocki of Walnut Grove, first place in CNC Turning Specialist.
ECCC students placing second at the state SkillsUSA Competition included:
- Caden Elliot of Little Rock in Welding.
- Gage Creason of Morton, Dylan Dubose of Philadelphia, and Lathan Johnson of Philadelphia in Welding Fabrication.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. A nonprofit national education association, SkillsUSA serves middle school, high school, and college/postsecondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations.
