Southwestern Community College (SWCC) came home with two national medal winners—Brady Pearson (pictured at left) of Knoxville received gold in electrical technology and Lucas Lynch (pictured at right) of Creston placed silver in collision repair—following the 2023 SkillsUSA Championships, held June 19-23, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Pearson, a 2021 graduate of Knoxville High School, finished first in electrical construction wiring (secondary division). Pearson earned his diploma in electrical technology from SWCC in June 2022 and will obtain his Associate of Applied Science degree in electrical technology at the end of the 2023 summer session. Pearson becomes SWCC’s third national electrical champion throughout history. Other gold medal winners in electrical technology have included Daniel Leonard of Mount Ayr in 2016 and Cory Marquardt of Creston in 2018. Both individuals are now electrical professionals in SWCC’s region.
Lynch finished second nationally in collision repair technology (secondary division). Lynch, a 2023 Creston High School graduate, has been completing courses through SWCC’s Career Academy auto collision repair/refinish program for high school students. He will continue with the auto collision repair/refinish program at SWCC full-time beginning with the fall 2023 semester.
Lindsay Stoaks, SWCC interim president, said these awards speak volumes about the caliber of SWCC’s career and technical education (CTE) programs.
"The work of these CTE students and their instructors was immense as they prepared for and competed against their peers in Iowa and across the nation," stated Stoaks. "To finish this year’s SkillsUSA competitions with 13 state place winners, a national gold medalist, and a national silver medalist is truly a testament for the quality of SWCC’s CTE programs."
Stoaks said historically these students graduate and stay in southwest and south-central Iowa.
"These students are going to be valuable employees following graduation," said Stoaks. "It’s heartwarming to see our graduates and SkillsUSA medal winners working in careers in their respective communities."
The annual SkillsUSA conference, with more than 16,000 individuals in attendance, was a showcase of the best CTE students in the nation. Students who qualified at the state level, competed in more than 100 trade, technical, and leadership events.
SkillsUSA CTE students work against the clock, proving expertise in occupations such as collision repair, electronics, computer-aided drafting, medical assisting, and culinary arts. Contests are run by SkillsUSA with assistance from industry, trade associations, and labor organizations; testing competencies are set by industry. Participants include middle school, high school, and college students.
SkillsUSA Iowa sent 105 attendees, representing 18 schools. The following Iowa students were national place winners:
Gold Medalists
- Electrical Construction Wiring, Brady Pearson, Southwestern Community College
- Electronics Technology, Dan Gustafson, Kirkwood Community College
Silver Medalists
- Automotive Service Technology, Spencer Speral, Kirkwood Community College
- Carpentry, Anselm Friestch, Des Moines Area Community College – Newton
- Collision Repair Technology, Lucas Lynch, Southwestern Community College
Bronze Medalists
- Motorcycle Service Technology, Wayde Coffey, Iowa Lakes Community College
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of education and industry founded in 1965 to strengthen the nation’s skilled workforce. Driven by employer demand, SkillsUSA helps students develop necessary personal and workplace skills along with technical skills grounded in academics. SkillsUSA has members nationwide and is recognized by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor as integral to career and technical education. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.