NORFOLK, Neb. – Northeast Community College is a hub for SkillsUSA.
That has become apparent in recent years when Northeast students bring home the most gold and total number of medals at the collegiate level during the annual state competition in Grand Island.
And it was apparent on Monday, June 24, at 3:15 a.m. when 17 students and nine advisers climbed into three Northeast vans to head to the Omaha airport to catch an early flight to Atlanta to compete this week in the SkillsUSA national championships. And if recent years are any indication, several students will return with national championships in the skills competition in which they compete.
The students were greeted early Monday as they got ready to leave by some of the top administrators, including President Leah Barrett, Charlene Widener, vice president of educational services; Wade Herley, dean of Business and Humanities; and John Liewer, associate dean of Applied Technology.
More than good optics, it’s part of the attitude of Northeast leadership and students toward the competition that recognizes students who excel in the skills for which they are attending college. The competitions are diverse, such as masonry, carpentry, advertising design, computer programming, drafting and mechatronics.
The students and advisers thanked all those for coming out in the middle of the night, which might provide a little extra incentive during the competition.
Brad Ranslem, dean of Applied Technology; and Mark Harleman, building construction trainer, drove a van to Atlanta, leaving Friday. The van contains the equipment that the students will need to compete.
This is the first year that Northeast has flown to Atlanta for the national conference. In the past, they have taken a bus.
Nearly 16,000 attendees will be in Atlanta to celebrate the largest gathering of America’s future skilled workforce during the SkillsUSA’s National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC).
Northeast students and advisers who qualified and are going to Atlanta are:
Automotive Refinish -- Kyle Hasenkamp; Early Childhood Education -- Hannah Taylor; Criminal Justice -- Yazmin Toral;
Computer Programming -- Aaron Johanson; Technical Computer Applications -- Molly Sanchez (Gina); Electrical Wiring -- James Rolf;
Teamworks -- Daxton Behmer, Austyn Kieborz, Ryan Schmit, Logan Kaup; Related Technical Math -- Cole Vogt; Technical Drafting -- Landon Oestreich;
Carpentry -- Connor Smith; Masonry -- Calvin Wemhoff; Mechatronics -- Calvin Christensen, Christopher Efta.
Students who qualified for nationals but who are not attending are:
Architectural Drafting – Miranda Bracht; Internetworking – Aaron Lorenz; Cyber Security -- Daniel Mickelson and Martin Beyer.
Advisers who are going are Thomas Hoile, Lisa Guenther, Matthew McCarthy, Lucas Reichlinger, Nathan Simpson, Joe Ottis, Eric Ternus, Ryan Hobza and Eric Roskeland.
The following are how Northeast students fared during the state competition in Grand Island in April:
Advertising Design: Gold and Silver
Gold – Luis Nolasco
Silver – Melanie Perez-Jones
Architectural Drafting: Gold, Silver, and Bronze
Gold – Miranda Bracht
Silver – Fischer Carson
Bronze – Kysiah Rice
Automotive Refinishing: Gold
Gold – Kyle Hasenkamp
Cabinet Making: Silver and Bronze
Silver – Ashton Sims
Bronze – Kellan Wusk
Carpentry: Gold and Silver
Gold – Connor Smith
Silver – Colton Ruff
Computer Programing: Gold, Silver, and Bronze
Gold – Aaron Johanson
Silver – Aziz Tadzhibaev
Bronze – Alexis Bentley
Crime Scene Investigation: Bronze
Bronze – Team – Kennedy Shores, Abbi Jamison, Trevor Williams
Criminal Justice: Gold and Silver
Gold – Yazmin Toral
Silver – Keyton Sparks
Cyber Security: Gold and Silver
Gold – Team – Daniel Mickelson, Martin Beyer
Silver – Team – Dakota Fritzen, Eduardo Duque
Early Childhood Education: Gold and Silver
Gold – Hannah Taylor
Silver – Cortlynn Cadwallader
Electrical Construction Wiring: Gold, Silver, and Bronze
Gold – James Rolf
Silver – Cazden Christensen
Bronze – Alexander Grosserode
Industrial Motor Control: Silver and Bronze
Silver – Tristen Kittelson
Bronze – Gavin Cole
Internetworking: Gold
Gold – Aaron Lorenz
Masonry: Gold, Silver, and Bronze
Gold – Calvin Wemhoff
Silver – Bobbie Martin
Bronze – Kyle Glaser
Mechatronics: Gold and Bronze
Gold – Team – Calvin Christensen, Christopher Efta
Bronze – Team – Aiden Miller, Trevor Voecks
Related Technical Math: Gold
Gold – Cole Vogt
Heavy Equipment Operator: Silver
Silver – Evan Schmitt
Robotics Urban Search and Rescue: Silver
Silver – Team – Kason Roessler, Oluowatobi Fagbohoun
Teamworks: Gold
Gold – Team – Daxton Behmer, Logan Kaup, Austyn Kieborz, Ryan Schmit
Technical Computer Application: Gold
Gold – Molly Sanchez
Technical Drafting: Gold and Silver
Gold – Landon Oestreich
Silver – Dru Truax.
SkillsUSA Send-off
Northeast Community College President Leah Barrett (right) encourages some of the Northeast students leaving Monday at 3:15 a.m. in vans from Norfolk to catch a plane in Omaha for Atlanta to attend the SkillsUSA national conference. (Northeast Community College)
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