12 Wallace State students earn medals at SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference

Hanceville, AL — A dozen Wallace State Community College students brought home medals after competing at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference this week in Atlanta.

“We commend our SkillsUSA Medalists and their faculty, and we are very proud of all of our outstanding competitors,” said Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics. “The stellar performance of our SkillsUSA Medalists demonstrates why Wallace State is a leader in workforce development in Alabama.”

More than 15 Wallace State students competed June 25-28 at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, with eight students earning gold medals, three earning silver medals and one earning a bronze medal.

Gold medal winners include:

• Esthetics – Kyndall Winters of Nauvoo
• Crime Scene Investigation – Braden Tuttle of Oneonta, Sophia Wright of Warrior and Jonathan Zepedatrejo of Cullman
• Mobile Robotic Technology – Justin Ruth and Zach Hudson, both of Hanceville
• Robotics and Automation Technology – Avielle Shadrick of Cullman and Andrew Cooper of Odenville

Silver medal winners include:

• Technical Computer Applications – Jennifer Jester of Cullman
• Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue – Isaac Daniel of Holly Pond and Graham Gilbreath of Cullman

Bronze medal winners include:

• Commercial Drone –Landon Holmes of Cullman

"Congratulations to our outstanding students for their remarkable achievement in placing at the SkillsUSA Nationals,” said Jerry Murks, Dean of Applied Technologies at Wallace State. “Their dedication, hard work, and skill have truly paid off, showcasing the exceptional talent and determination within our community. We are incredibly proud of their success and the bright future that lies ahead for each of them."

The students were among more than 6,600 students from across the United States competing in 115 occupational and leadership skills areas.

Students earned the right to compete at the national competition after winning medals at the Alabama State Leadership and SkillsUSA Championships held in April in Mobile.

SkillsUSA is the #1 workforce development organization for students. Its goal is to empower students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members. SkillsUSA is a nonprofit that serves high school, college and middle school students who are preparing for careers or further education in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. A partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce, SkillsUSA helps each student excel.

SkillsUSA offers local, state and national opportunities for students to learn and practice personal, workplace and technical skills. These three components comprise the SkillsUSA Framework, a blueprint for career readiness. Local chapters conduct a full Program of Work, and many students attend a district or state conference.

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About Wallace State

Wallace State Community College (Ala.), a member of the Alabama Community College System, is a comprehensive community college in north central Alabama offering more than 200 options in academic, health and technical programs of study leading to an associate degree, certificate or transfer, as well as workforce-credit training and adult education. An Achieving the Dream Leader College, nationally recognized by the Aspen Institute as a finalist for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, ranked by Southern Business and Development among the Top 3 institutions in the South for workforce development, named a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing and the National Security Administration, rated the Top Online Community College in Alabama, a Military Friendly Institution and an All-Steinway School, Wallace State is an outstanding place for students to pursue their education and career goals. Classes are offered online and on campus, day, evening and on weekends, with numerous start dates each year. Visit Wallace State’s beautiful main campus located on 300-acres in Hanceville, Ala., our satellite location in downtown Oneonta, Ala., find us online at www.wallacestate.edu, or call 256.352.8000.

Students from Wallace State's Criminal Justice program, center, celebrate winning a gold medal in Crime Scene Investigation. Member of the team include Braden Tuttle of Oneonta, Sophia Wright of Warrior and Jonathan Zepedatrejo of Cullman.

Wallace State students Justin Ruth and Zach Hudson, both of Hanceville, earned gold medals in Mobile Robotics Technology at the 2024 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. 

Avielle Shadrick,left, of Cullman and Andrew Cooper of Odenville react after winning gold medals in Robotics and Automation Technology.

 Isaac Daniel of Holly Pond and Graham Gilbreath of Cullman accept silver medals in Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue. 

Jennifer Jester of Cullman accepts a silver medal in Technical Computer Applications.

Landon Holmes of Cullman accepts a bronze medal in Commercial SUAS Drone.