Eastland Career Center students take gold at SkillsUSA

GROVEPORT – To close out the month of June, a group of Eastland Career Center students achieved the highest of accolades during the 2024 SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference when they won the gold medal in their respective competitive CTSO event.

Rising seniors McKenna Bell (Bloom-Carroll), Lola Phillips (Amanda-Clearcreek), and Amberly Byrd (Pickerington North) represented Eastland Career Center in the Promotional Bulletin Board team event where their work and presentation was recognized as the best in the high school competition. They were crowned national champions at the SkillsUSA Awards Presentation held on June 28 in Atlanta, Ga.

Mariah Pittman (Reynoldsburg) had been a member of the Promotional Bulletin Board team that earned Gold status through the state level but was unable to attend, allowing Amberly Byrd to fill in and round out the national championship team. All four students participating on the team are enrolled in the Graphic Design program at ECC.

Four additional individuals represented Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools on the national stage at this year’s SkillsUSA national conference. While these students did not medal, the following individuals participated CTSO (career technical student organization) skills competitions:

• Zander Susor (Groveport Madison, ECC Automotive) - Automotive Service
• Cadence Wrightsel (Teays Valley, ECC Pre-Dental) - Dental Assisting
• Helen Norfolk (Bloom-Carroll, Graphic Design) and Brooke VanTilburg (Gr., Graphic Design) - Web Design Team
• Sabrina Coleman (Bloom-Carroll, FCC Pre-Nursing) - Customer Service

Nine students from the Culinary Arts program at Eastland Career Center had the opportunity to travel to Seattle, Wash. for the 2024 FCCLA National Leadership Conference, where they brought home multiple national placements and celebrated nearly $50,000 in scholarship funds being awarded.

Senior Hannah Wilson (Bloom-Carroll) headlined the list of top placements among ECC students, finishing third in the nation and earning a bronze medal in the Baking & Pastry event.

Five students, including Wilson, placed inside the top 10, nationally, in their respective events.

• Emaleigh Arcand (Groveport Madison) - Hospitality, Tourism, & Recreation Challenge; 6th overall
• Journey Morris (Liberty Union) - Pastry Technical Decorating, 7th overall
• Gracie Horton (Pickerington Central) - Consumer Math Challenge, 7th overall
• Adam Fazekas (Reynoldsburg) - Nutrition Challenge, 9th overall

Emaleigh Arcand had the opportunity to compete in two events. She was also a top-20 finisher at the Job Interview event.

Three students placed inside the top 25 in their respective events, including Aiden Maynard (Gahanna Lincoln, Culinary Arts), Stephany Albino (Whitehall-Yearling, Food Innovations), and Jaela Armstead (Whitehall-Yearling, Food Innovations).

While event competitions typically take center stage at the FCCLA National Leadership Conference, scholarship and leadership were also celebrated over the course of the week. Hannah Wilson was awarded a $20,000 scholarship while Stephany Albino and Jaela Armstead were both awarded scholarships of $15,000.

Adam Fazekas made a name for himself as a member of the state leadership team, representing Ohio as FCCLA’s first Vice President. As part of his responsibilities, he helped run state meetings, award sessions, and additional leadership workshop sessions throughout the week. Journey Morris, Kathryn Blowers, and Gracie Horton represented Ohio’s Region 3 as executive council members.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Eastland Career Center students take gold at SkillsUSA