Thirteen students from Wiregrass Georgia Technical College are headed to the National SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta this June after winning gold medals at the state-wide SkillsUSA Championship this past weekend. This was the first in-person competition since 2019.  The college had an exceptional showing bringing home 13 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze medals.  For the fourth year in a row, Wiregrass was recognized as a Gold Chapter of Distinction level award winner.  Once again, Wiregrass’ SkillsUSA Chapter was recognized as the Largest SkillsUSA Chapter with 105 members.

Wiregrass Director of Campus Life and SkillsUSA Lead Advisor, Kelley Wetherington, coordinates the chapter's community projects and sponsored three major events this year.  “De-Stress-ember” was held in December, providing Wiregrass employees and students an opportunity to destress before finals while also providing Neuromuscular Massage Therapy students the opportunity to complete state-required check-off sheets for specific job skills. Chapter members of SkillsUSA planned and executed the event for students and college employees. During Spring Semester, the chapter helped local animal shelters with a project called, “Keep the Critters Cozy and Their Kennels Clean.”  This was an opportunity for members to use problem-solving skills to determine how to support local animal shelters within the restrictions of COVID. The event committee collected specific items to help meet the needs of the local shelters. Lastly, the chapter was involved with “What’s in your brand?  Build a personal brand that works for you.”  The project’s goal was to help students improve interview skills and promote confidence in interview skills. In-person or virtual interviews were held for each participant, which allowed them to receive individual feedback from interviewers and advisors. 

Wiregrass President DeAnnia Clements shared, “It was wonderful to hear “Wiregrass’ called out so many times during the awards ceremony. The dedication of our instructors and advisors is evident in how well our students perform year after year. We congratulate these students, faculty, and advisors, and look forward to National SkillsUSA in Atlanta this June.”