(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Ten students from Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus received gold medals at the recent 2025 SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference in Corpus Christi.
The students are Jillian Contreras, of Harlingen, in Practical Nursing; Mohamed Deyab, of Harlingen, in Sheet Metal; Robyn Dunkin, of Laguna Vista, in Medical Terminology; Andres Guerrero, of Edinburg, in Industrial Motor Control; Ryan Montelongo, of Harlingen, Omar Reyes, of Raymondville, and Luke Trevino, of Edinburg, in Engineering Technology – Design; Erick Ramirez, of Harlingen, in Aviation Maintenance Technology; Edmundo Salazar, of Monte Alto, in CNC 2-Axis Turning Programmer; and Miriam Sanchez, of Edinburg, in Dental Assisting.
By winning gold medals, the students secured their spots at the national SkillsUSA event scheduled for June 23-27 in Atlanta, Georgia, where they will showcase their talents on a national stage.
Salazar, who represented the Precision Machining Technology program, was a first-time competitor.
“The biggest challenge I had was wondering who I would be competing against,” he said. “I felt confident and knew what needed to be done.”
Sanchez, a returning competitor, said winning a gold medal confirmed her commitment to TSTC’s Dental Hygiene program.
“As a Dental Hygiene student, we have to know many of the dental assisting techniques,” she said. “That worked to my advantage.”
Montelongo, Reyes and Trevino represented the Biomedical Equipment Technology program. The group’s team lead, Reyes, said the trio first developed their friendship last semester.
“We developed a medical electrical power analyzer, which is specifically made for the medical field,” Reyes said. “As a team, we improved our critical thinking skills. Ryan and Luke also worked on their public speaking because of the networking opportunity the competition provides.”
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.
Registration for TSTC’s summer and fall semesters is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.
