South Georgia Technical College hosted a SkillsUSA State Leadership Skills and Conference recognition breakfast recently to celebrate the dedication, talent and hard work of the students who represented SGTC at the 2026 state SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta recently.
South Georgia Technical College students won five Gold, four Silver, and three Bronze medals in competition against other college/postsecondary students from around the state. The SGTC students who won Gold Medals or first place in the state-wide competition will now represent South Georgia Technical College and the State of Georgia in the National SkillsUSA contest, June 1 – 5, 2026, in Atlanta. SGTC took a total of 33 students and 16 or nearly 50% of those who competed earned a medal as one of the best in their respective program areas.
“Thank you so much for your participation in the SkillsUSA competition,” said South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford, when he greeted the students and faculty and staff at the recognition breakfast. “I am so proud of your accomplishments. I think SkillsUSA in one of the most important competitions for our students. This competition validates what we do. Our instructors are fantastic and committed to the skills they teach and to their students. Those of you who won medals and will now compete at the national level are proof that we are turning out students who are ready to enter the workforce and are among the best in the state in their fields of study and are among the best in the nation.
“But every student who went and competed at the state level is a winner,” said Dr. Watford. “Not only did you learn something by competing, but you made South Georgia Tech proud, you made your instructor look good and most of all, you made yourself look good. Employers recognize the value of SkillsUSA and this looks good on your resumes after you graduate.”
The individuals who took the Gold medals included: Daniel Eckler of Americus in Criminal Justice; Jacob Bellamy of Blountville, TN, in Diesel; Kenneth Bennett of Conyers, GA for Information Technology Services; Ashley Esquivel of Cordele for Nail Care; and the team of Bailey Battle of Summerville, Emma Foley of Kimberly, AL, and Katie Price of Abbeville, AL for the Occupational Health and Safety category. The advisors for these students and events included instructors: Teresa McCook, Criminal Justice; Don Rountree from Heavy Equipment Dealer’s Service Technology; Veronda Cladd, Information Technology Services; Jessakeetha Maddox, Nail Technology; and Matthew Burk and Don Rountree from Ag Technology and Heavy Equipment Dealer’s Service Technology for the Occupational Health and Safety competition.
These seven state Gold medal winners will represent South Georgia Technical College and the State of Georgia in the National SkillsUSA contest, June 1 – 5 in Atlanta.
The four Silver Medal winners included: Liliana Martinez of Abbeville, Customer Service; Cameron Wilson of Snellville, Electronics; Artavius Warren of Americus, Electrical Construction Wiring; and A’Neya Mack of Plains, Technical Computer Applications. The instructors from each of the program areas were: Jessakeetha Maddox, Nail Technician; Mike Collins, Electronics; Patrick Owen, Electrical Technology; and Veronda Cladd, Computer Information Systems.
The Silver medal winners will have the opportunity to compete at the National Level if for some reason the Gold medal winner in their category cannot attend and compete.
In addition to the Gold and Silver medal winners from SGTC, three students took Bronze medals. Mason Herron of Americus took Bronze in Aviation; Kalil Cody of Andersonville for Barbering; and the team of Charity Brown of Griffin, Naomi Stevenson of Byron, and Hailey Gregory of Americus for Crime Scene Investigation. Charles Christmas and Victoria Herron were the Aviation Maintenance Instructors; Andre Robinson was the instructor for Barbering; and Teresa McCook is the Criminal Justice Instructor that assisted her students.
The 33 students who competed in the State SkillUSA competition and their areas of competition included: Bailey Battle, Occupational Health and Safety; Jacob Bellamy, Diesel Equipment Technology; Kenneth Bennett, Information Technology Services; Tayla Brantley, Job Skill Demonstration Open; Charity Brown, Crime Scene Investigation; Eren Brown, Computer Programing; Alela Bush, Crime Scene Investigation; Jesse Cadenhead, Extemporaneous Speaking; Cody Kalil, Barbering; William Crawford, Information Technology Services; Jonathan Dubon, Aviation Maintenance Technology; Daniel Eckler, Criminal Justice; Ashley Esquivel, Nail Care; Emma Foley, Occupational Health and Safety; Connor Gillard, Diesel Equipment Technology; Hailey Gregory, Crime Scene Investigation; Ryan Heard, Diesel Equipment Technology; James Herron, Aviation Maintenance Technology, Mason Herron, Aviation Maintenance Technology; Anthony Jenkins, Prepared Speech; Aniyah Lyles, Nail Care Model; A’neya Mack, Technical Computer applications; Liliana Martinez, Customer Service; Colton McBride, Diesel Equipment Technology; Noah McKinney, Welding; Kendell Phillips, Automotive Service Technology; Katie Price, Occupational Health and Safety; Mikayla Sanders, Job Skill Demonstration; Naomi Beza-Stevenson, Crime Scene Investigation; Ian Stewart, Extemporaneous Speaking; Myles Swindle, Diesel Equipment Technology; Artavius Warren, Electrical Construction Wiring; and Cameron Wilson, Electronics Technology.
The SGTC faculty and staff who mentored and guided the SkillsUSA competitors included: Matthew Burks, Cynthia Carter, Charles Christmas, Veronda Cladd, Michael Collins, Mary Cross, Johnny Griffin, Victoria Herron, Krista Hudson, Cambrette Hudson, Tom Mayo, Teresa McCook, Dorothea McKenzie, Patrick Owen, Rance Poss, Andre Robinson, Don Rountree, Jason Wisham, Michelle Seay and Tylen Pepito,
Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and SGTC SkillsUSA Advisor Brenda Gilliam worked with the students and their instructors to prepare students for the SkillsUSA State competition and will be attending the National competition with the students and instructors.
The SkillsUSA organization serves more than 440,000 career and technical education students and instructors annually and has served 15 million members since 1965. The organization has chapters in middle schools, high schools, and college/postsecondary institutions nationally.
South Georgia Technical College provides students with the “Complete College Experience” and offers students over 200 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate of credit educational opportunities. SGTC continues to prepare students for high-demand careers through hands-on training, industry partnerships, and leadership development opportunities. For more information about programs or to apply at SGTC visit, www.southgatech.edu.