Student Success
Students Qualify for SkillsUSA Nationals for Fifth Straight Year
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 20, 2026) – Wake Tech Career and Technical Education students put their skills to the test at the 2026 SkillsUSA North Carolina State Leadership & Skills Conference in Greensboro, bringing home nearly 20 awards, including five first‑place honors.
Four Wake Tech students qualified to advance to the national SkillsUSA Championships, scheduled for June 1–5 in Atlanta:
- Brian Mburugu (Collision Repair Technology)
- Aloysius Conway (Electronics Technology)
- Ian Woodard and Caleb Smith (Interactive Application & Video Game Design)
The achievement marks the fifth consecutive year Wake Tech students have earned spots in the national competition.
Wake Tech students competed in a range of categories across Engineering, Technologies & Skilled Trades; Business & Professional Services; Information Technology; Transportation Technologies; and Workforce Development.
According to Alex Barnhill, dean of Skilled Trades, Construction & Facilities Management at Wake Tech, the SkillsUSA experience extends well beyond medals and trophies.
"SkillsUSA gives our students the opportunity to apply what they've learned in the classroom to real‑world challenges," Barnhill said. "They gain confidence, sharpen their technical and professional skills and leave better prepared for the workforce. That growth is just as important as the awards they bring home."
Approximately 3,000 students and 500 advisors attended the annual conference, which features more than 140 competitive events highlighting technical, workplace and leadership skills. Participants include middle school, high school and college postsecondary students from across North Carolina.
Nearly 80 high school students from Vernon Malone College and Career Academy (VMCCA), a Cooperative Innovative High School partnership between Wake Tech and the Wake County Public School System, also competed and received 38 awards, including five first-place medals for Interactive Game Design, Collision Repair, Electrical Construction I, First-Aide-CPR and Job Skills Demo.
Wake Tech results:
First place
- Jada Carpenter, Skills Showcase
- Mariuxi Cedeno, Fantasy Hair and Makeup
- Aloysius Conway, Electronics Technology
- Brian Mburugu, Collision Damage Appraisal
- Ian Woodard and Caleb Smith, Interactive Application & Video Game Design
Second place
- Yousef Chemali, Electrical Construction Wiring
- Isaac Furches and Khalid Zejli, Mechatronics
- Bryce Koon, Ashley Manshack and Anthony Piteo, Welding Fabrication
- Chase Redden, Welding
Third place
- Blake Brandon and Pethum Mudiyanselage, Cyber Security
- Evangelos Candes, Architectural Drafting
- Andrew Potchak, Auto Service Technology
Fourth place
- Carson Allman, Collision Repair Technology
- Joseph Dousharm, Welding Sculpture
- Samuel Furches and Christian Velazquez, Additive Manufacturing
- Anastasia Krugolva, Architectural Drafting
- Christian Quarles, Auto Tool Identification
Fifth place
- Sheree Kenon, Collision Damage Appraisal
- Rosselyn Trejo, Architectural Drafting
