(MARSHALL, Texas) – Ten students at Texas State Technical College’s Marshall campus are preparing to compete at the SkillsUSA Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference this April in Corpus Christi.
SkillsUSA is a professional organization focused on employability, leadership and technical skills that help college students pursue successful careers and be part of a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA has more than 100 specific contests at the state and national events in which students can compete, from 3D Visualization and Animation to Welding Sculpture.
Josh Stampley, a program team lead for TSTC’s Marshall campus, has been coordinating the campus’s involvement with SkillsUSA for the past eight years. He said his goal is to see all of the Marshall competitors on the podium with medals around their necks.
“We’ve got a great group of students,” Stampley said. “They compete very well, and they have a wealth of knowledge. They get networking benefits from (the competition) and potential job offers at both state and national levels. It’s a great resume builder and great team skills builder.”
Ryan Dunn, of Hallsville, is one of six Drafting and Design students heading to Corpus Christi from TSTC’s Marshall location in April, but he is the only one of them competing in the Technical Drafting contest.
“If you really want to get into the industry, you need this experience,” Dunn said. “You need to feel what it feels like to compete, and see other people’s work and see where you line up with them.”
Since learning that students from TSTC’s Marshall campus did not win any medals in welding in 2024, Welding Technology student Harrison Prater is determined to go for the gold this year.
“When you compete in something at a higher level, it shows if you want to get better or not,” Prater said.
Gold medalists at the state level are eligible to compete at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference to be held June 23-27 in Atlanta, Georgia.
For more information on SkillsUSA Texas, go to skillsusatx.org.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
